Heir to the Throne
by Random Inspiration
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo is going to be the next Spirit King! But every king needs a queen, so each of the four noble houses must chose a suitor to vie for his affections.
1. Breaking the News

_**Title: Heir to the Throne**_

_**Author: Random Inspiration (Zanpakuto Kappy on Deathberry) / alter3d.c0re**_

_**Rating: T**_

_**Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo is going to be the next Spirit King! But every king needs a queen, so each of the four noble houses must chose a suitor to vie for his affections.**_

_**Type: MULTI-CHAPTER / IchiRuki**_

_**Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach and all of its characters, We don't. But that doesn't mean it's not fun to play in the universe he dreamed up.**_

_**Author's Note: Some of you might recognize this story. It was posted back in April 2009 under my co-author's Fan Fiction account. We just decided to move it to mine. I would like to thank my co-author, alter3d.c0re for the t**__**remendous amount of time and effort he put into this story with me. Fair warning before we get started: some artistic liberties were taken, though not really enough for this to be called an AU story. For the purposes of this fic, we're going to set up th**__**e Kuchiki, Shihouin, Shiba, and Kasumi-Ouji as the four highest-ranking noble families. Other than that, standard Bleach rules apply. Read and enjoy, and please review! Reviews that say you like it are nice, but reviews that say **__**why**__** you like it are bette**__**r.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Breaking the News**_

The messenger stood on a Karakura rooftop watching the sunset. He couldn't believe the information Yamamoto had given him to deliver. He swallowed hard and used shunpo to move from rooftop to rooftop until he finally reached his destination. Once again, he went over the message:

_You are ordered to go to the living world and deliver the following message: "Your brother has died without an heir. The rules of succession are clear, and either you or your son __must__ return to the Soul Society within three days to inherit the throne. By authority of the fallen Spirit King, Yamamoto Genryuusai." I am entrusting you with this duty, Abarai Renji, because of the history you share with those who will be affected by it. Y__ou are to deliver this message, just as I have told it to you, to Kurosaki Isshin._

Renji sighed as he stood outside the Kurosaki Clinic. "You've gotta be kidding me," he said softly, shaking his head, "that punk is descended from nobility? What's the world coming to?" He gathered his courage and rang the bell, and a young girl answered the door. She looked to be in her early teens with a baseball cap pulled down over her dark hair and piercing eyes. She looked up at the tattooed fuku-taichou.

"Yes? Oh, you must be one of Ichi-nii's friends," she said before turning to shout over her shoulder, "ICHIGO! ONE OF YOUR CRAZY FRIENDS IS HERE!"

"Um, actually, I'm here to see...," Renji tried to correct her, but was interrupted by an answering shout from somewhere in the house, "WHO IS IT, KARIN? I'M BUSY!"

Karin turned back to Renji and looked up at him expectantly. "Well, which one are you?"

"Abarai Renji," he stammered, "but I'm really..."

"IT'S ABARAI-SAN!" she yelled over her shoulder again, cutting him off.

Renji saw his friend come racing down the steps and bump Karin out of the way.

"You're welcome," she said, rolling her eyes and walking away.

"Thanks, Karin," he shot back, receiving a dismissing wave for his trouble. "So, Renji, what's up?"

"Actually, Ichigo, I'm here to see someone else."

"Who, exactly? Rukia?" Ichigo growled as he moved his hand to reach for his zanpakuto before remembering he he wasn't in shinigami form. Instead he settled for resting his hand on the door frame to block Renji's entry.

Renji grinned wolfishly at the implied threat and held up a hand to forestall any rash action on Ichigo's part, when both men turned at a sudden sound coming from the hallway behind Ichigo. "I-CHI-GOOO!" screamed Kurosaki Isshin, launching a easily blocked flying kick at his son's head. "Why didn't you tell me we had a guest! Is this one of your friends?"

"Yeah. Renji, this is Kurosaki Isshin, my lunatic father," he said, rolling his eyes. "Dad, this is Abarai Renji, a friend of me and Rukia," he growled, stressing 'friend' for Renji's benefit, "now go away, Dad."

"Pleased to meet you, Kurosaki-san," said Renji with a glance at his friend, "but it's not Ichigo I'm here to see. It's you."

The deep voice that answered Renji was familiar, but Ichigo had never heard him use that tone before. "Abarai-kun, come in." The sudden change left Ichigo dumbstruck. He turned to see Isshin standing behind him, clad in a shihakusho with the remnants of a captain's haori flowing behind him. "Kisuke warned me you would be coming to see me," he explained, "though he didn't give any more details than that."

Renji bowed deeply. "Thank you, Kurosaki-taichou. I have a message for you from Yamamoto-soutaichou."

Isshin's forehead wrinkled with concern. He reached out and touched Ichigo's shoulder, gently pulling his dazed son's arm down so their guest could come in. Ichigo yielded to his father and Renji stepped past him, following the elder Kurosaki into the living room. "Come, sit down, Abarai-kun. You too, Ichigo." Ichigo followed numbly, trying to reconcile the goofy idiot he knew his father to be with the serious-looking shinigami standing in front of him now. He flopped on the couch next to Isshin while Renji sat down in the recliner across from them. "Now, what business does Yamamoto have with me?"

Renji cast an apologetic glance at Ichigo who seemed to be recovering slowly from his initial shock. _"I guess Kurosaki-taichou never told Ichigo about his history in Soul Society or __who his family was. Hell, even __**I**_ _didn't know until the old man told me," _he thought. He cleared his throat and closed his eyes, relaying the message word for word. When he had finished, he sat back and opened his eyes again and looked across the coffee table. Isshin was deep in thought, nodding his head. Ichigo's eyes were wide as he processed the news. "Ichigo," Renji began, "you okay, man?"

Ichigo blinked hard a few times and looked back and forth between his father and his red-haired friend. "Are you serious? This has to be a joke, right?"

"I'm afraid not, son," Isshin answered, putting his hand on Ichigo's knee and turning to Renji. "Was there anything else, Abarai-kun?"

"No, sir. Urahara-san said for me to tell you that the gate can be made ready for the return trip at any time."

Isshin nodded then turned to look at Ichigo, who was still glancing between the two men. "I know you have questions, Ichigo," he started when Ichigo suddenly stood up.

"QUESTIONS? DAMN RIGHT I'VE GOT QUESTIONS!" he screamed, swinging a punch at his father's head, only to have his fist caught squarely in his father's palm. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT THE SPIRIT KING AND LAWS OF SUCCESSION? WHEN THE HELL WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME YOU WERE A SHINIGAMI?"

"Calm down, son," Isshin replied with a nod toward Ichigo's captured fist, "now's not the time for fun and games. Sit down and let me tell you a story that I think will answer a majority of your questions." Ichigo stood frozen in place, dumbfounded. _"First I find out Dad's a shinigami, an __ex-captain__, no less, and now he's blocked a punch? He's __never__ been able to do that! What the hell is going on?"_ he thought. He sat back onto the couch and did his best to listen as Isshin told the story.

"I was born the second son of the King around the time Christopher Columbus was leaving Spain. My father died suddenly not long afterward and my brother ascended to the throne. I spent many carefree years living in his household, but to be honest I always envied the shinigami. I heard those who were promoted into the royal guard tell their stories about living in Seireitei and fighting hollows. It sounded so romantic, so exciting. More than anything I wanted to grow up to defend the world of the living from the hollows. Finally, after years of dreaming, I got up the courage to approach my brother about it. He gave me his blessing on the condition that I used an assumed family name, since the royal family doesn't have one. I chose Kurosaki for myself because it was my great-great-grandfather's given name. I also had to mask my reiatsu before coming to the academy, because as you know from experience, Ichigo, those of us who come from the royal family possess vast amounts of reiatsu. I had to spend several months before leaving home learning how to carefully control it to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to myself. If anyone found out I was the king's brother...well, you can just imagine the kind of hell that would cause. It was worth the hassle, though, and I enrolled in Yamamoto's academy to learn the ins and outs of shinigami life. I even purposely failed my 'Introduction to Kidou' class for fun the first time through, and..," he trailed off seeing the look on Ichigo's face, "I guess there's time for academy stories later. So that explains who I am, I guess, and covers what the Spirit King means to us. Now, as for the laws of succession, it's pretty simple: the oldest son of the king inherits the throne. If the king dies without an heir, either the previous King's next oldest son or the oldest son of the next generation will inherit it. In this case, since I still have to raise Yuzu and Karin, that would be you."

Ichigo's mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to find the words to ask the next question on his mind. Finally getting his composure, he quietly asked, "So why are you here? Why are Yuzu, Karin, and I here? What happened that made you stay in the living world? Did mom know?"

Isshin sighed and hung his head. "Not at first, but once you were born with the ability to see spirits, I had to tell your mother about my life as a shinigami. It was hard for her to accept at first, but she came to understand eventually. You see, twenty-two years ago, I met your mother while I was on a mission. I was field testing one of the 12th division's new gigais and ran into her outside a coffee shop. I fell in love with her and never went back. After a couple of months, as with Rukia-chan, they sent hunters after me to bring me back by force. As punishment for abandoning my duty as a shinigami I was stripped of my powers and exiled."

"They stripped you of your powers?" asked Ichigo, gesturing at his father's shihakusho, "then what the hell is this? A Halloween costume?"

"As I said, those of us who come from the royal family possess more reiatsu than a normal shinigami would be able to control. They stripped me of everything that I had, but since then I have been recovering slowly."

"That explains why you're here and why you've stayed, but why didn't you tell me about any of this? Obviously you knew that **I** was a shinigami, right?"

"Well, when you were born there was no guarantee that you'd ever fully develop into a shinigami, Ichigo. In fact, for a long time I hoped that you wouldn't, that you'd be able to live a normal life. That is, until she came."

"She? You mean Rukia?" interjected Renji, who had been listening intently to the story.

Isshin nodded. "When Rukia-chan first arrived, my worst nightmares were coming true: a hollow was attacking my family. I hadn't recovered my powers enough to fight it, but could sense a shinigami's reiatsu close by, so I figured she'd take it out before it got close enough to do any real harm. You both know what happened after that." The two younger men nodded their understanding. "Since then, I've been biding my time, watching you grow, watching her teach you. What I couldn't see I heard about through Kisuke. I'm so very proud of what you've become, Ichigo," he said, a hint of his usually goofy smile returning to his face. "and the reason I didn't tell you about all this was because you had enough on your plate: saving Rukia-chan from execution, training to enter Hueco Mundo, fighting Aizen. There was always something. I even tried to tell you once, when I gave you that "good luck charm," but I lost my nerve. I'm sorry."

Ichigo nodded, starting to understand the stress his father had been under. _"A child of the royal family leaves home, becomes a shinigami, then abandons his duties for a woman and gets exiled from Soul Society," _he thought. _"Sounds like material for a movie of the week._" He sighed and scratched his head. "So, what happens now?"

"Well," replied Isshin, grateful that the topic had moved away from his past, "as Abarai-kun said, you've got three days to get your affairs in order, because after that you're headed to Soul Society. It is the duty of the Spirit King to help maintain the balance between the world of the living and Soul Society. With Central 46 wiped out, you would be the first king in ages to be more than a figurehead. It would be up to you to help Yamamoto return some stability to the Seireitei after this long period of war."

The color began to rise in Ichigo's face. "So I don't even get a choice in the matter? Because of an accident of birth I'm bound to this fate? What about school? What about my friends? What about my duties as a shinigami here? What about you, and Karin, and Yuzu?"

"It's not like you'll never see them again, Ichigo," his father replied. "The reason the Spirit King resides in a different dimension than the rest of Soul Society is for his own safety. There are some nobles who would just adore having one of their own on the throne and who would do anything to see that happen. ANYTHING. But, people do move from Soul Society to the royal household. It's why Yamamoto-soutaichou keeps the King's Key, remember? It would be a simple task to have anyone you wanted brought to you for a visit, and messages pass fairly easily between worlds as well. You'd be surprised, actually." Ichigo stood up and turned to go back upstairs. "Where are you going?"

"I've got packing to do," he sighed, "and three days is not a lot of time to do that and say goodbye to everyone...," he stopped speaking and stood very still after taking only four steps. "Especially to Rukia," he whispered after a moment as his expression changed. Instead of his usual scowl he wore a look of profound sadness as he reached the top of the stairs and slammed his bedroom door behind him.

"I'd say that went well," said Isshin, standing up from the couch and rubbing his eyes. "I need a beer, Abarai-kun, "he said, turning to face his guest, "are you coming?"

"Y-yeah. I mean, yes, sir," he said, "but are you sure Ichigo will be okay?"

"He'll be fine," replied the elder shinigami as he stepped back into his gigai. "He's tougher than anyone gives him credit for. Even our little Rukia-chan," he added with a twinkle in his eye as opened the door. "He'll be fine."


	2. Making Preparations

_**Chapter 2: Making Preparations**_

The next morning a small group of confused people descended on Urahara's shop. Each one was offered tea and shown to a place around the table in the back room. Ishida took the cup offered to him by Ururu and looked around the room at those assembled: Chad, Orihime, Tatsuki, Mizuiro, and Keigo were seated at the table talking excitedly among themselves while Urahara, Tessai, and Yoruichi stood against the wall behind them wearing unreadable expressions.

"Do you know what this is about, Ishida-kun?" Inoue Orihime asked as he sat down.

"No," he sniffed, pushing his glasses up, "All I know is that Kurosaki called me and told me to meet him here this morning. He said he had some kind of news."

"I'll bet he finally confessed to Kuchiki-san!" said Mizuiro, nudging the larger man next to him, What do you think, Chad?"

"Hmm, " grunted Chad, trying to figure out why Ichigo had called them all together.

"I wonder where he is?" asked Keigo, brow wrinkling as he worried, "Maybe Mizuiro's right! Maybe he and Kuchiki-san are eloping right now and he's got us gathered here to keep us from stopping them! Don't worry, Kuchiki-san! I'm com-oogh!" he stopped suddenly as Ichigo's foot filled his mouth.

"Shut up, Keigo, " Ichigo growled as he turned to face the rest of his friends, "I've got a little bit of news, and it may shock you, so brace yourselves."

The younger members of the group fell silent and exchanged a knowing look, all under the impression that it had something to do with the one member of their group notably absent. "Go ahead, Kurosaki-kun," said Inoue, "we're ready."

Ichigo took a deep breath and told the story from the beginning, from Renji's arrival, to his father finally revealing his true identity, and finally coming to the purpose behind their meeting. "So, that's why I needed to tell everybody at once," he said, dropping his eyes to the floor, "because after I leave in three...no, two days, there's no telling when we'll meet again." Ichigo looked up into the shocked faces and saw a solitary tear running down Inoue's cheek. "I promise I'll come to visit every chance I can...I just don't know how often that will be."

The somber mood was broken when Tatsuki suddenly laughed out loud. "I can't believe the same crybaby I used to beat up when we were kids turned out to be the heir to the throne."

"Wow, " breathed Orihime, "Kurosaki-kun that's....wow."

"Indeed," said Ishida with a smirk, "guess I'll have to take up your slack as usual."

"We all will," rumbled Chad, "Karakura will be ours to protect while Ichigo's gone. I just wish I could go with you, to keep the promise we made."

"I know you do, Chad," Ichigo said with a sympathetic nod. "I just wish I could get out of it."

"I-CHI-GOOOO!" cried Keigo at a volume that caused the whole group to jump.

"What?" answered Ichigo as calmly as he could manage, though Chad could see the vein bulging at his temple.

"If you're leaving we have to have a going away party for you! With booze! And girls!"

Mizuiro laughed and nodded his head. "As bad as I hate to say it, Keigo's probably right. This will be your last chance to party as 'just one of the guys' for a long time. Let me make a few phone calls," he said, pulling out his cell phone and walking outside.

Ichigo caught Urahara nodding out of the corner of his eye and turned to face him. "I think that it would be very appropriate for you to spend time with your friends like this while you can, Kurosaki-san," he said. "After all, you only have the next two days. Use them wisely to bid farewell to family and friends and ready yourself for the challenges ahead of you."

Ichigo looked back into the expectant faces of his closest friends. "Sure," he said, feeling outnumbered, "let's have a party."

The words were barely out of his mouth when everyone began talking at once. Mizuiro came back in and said that one of his many girlfriends had offered up the club she managed as a venue, and Chad said he had a friend or two he could count on to provide the music. Orihime volunteered to be in charge of refreshments but Tatsuki quickly vetoed that idea in favor of pooling their money for catering. Before he knew it, Ichigo was caught up in the excitement as well and started shouting suggestions, adding to the cacophony that filled the shop.

"EXCUSE ME, EVERYONE!" shouted Urahara over the din, causing the room to fall silent again. "Thank you. I feel I must remind everyone that I am trying to run a business here and that all the noise you're making is scaring away my customers."

The sheepish looks that graced nearly every face were priceless. Orihime quickly made the suggestion that they finish their planning at her apartment. Everyone agreed and followed her outside, with the exception of Ichigo. "Call me later and let me know what the plans look like!" he called after them before turning to Urahara. "Have you heard from Rukia?" he asked, worry written all over his face. "She was gone when I went upstairs after talking with Dad and Renji, leaving nothing but this note," he said, handing over the paper.

"_Ichigo_," Urahara read aloud, "_Nii-sama sent for me, and I have to return to Soul Society on urgent family business. I should be back in a couple of days. Try to stay out of trouble. Rukia._"

"I didn't even get to tell her about all of this," Ichigo sighed. "I'm not even sure that I want to."

Yoruichi caught Urahara's eye and shook her head slightly before allowing him to answer. "I wouldn't worry too much about this, Kurosaki-san," Urahara said cheerfully, "As she says, she'll probably be back in a couple of days. Besides, you'll be going to Soul Society yourself soon, so even if she doesn't make it back, you can always catch up to her there."

"Yeah," he said, looking at the floor, "I guess you're right. I just...I really wanted her to hear it from me."

"She will, Ichigo," said Yoruichi, setting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "don't worry about it. For now, you've got a party to get ready for, right?"

"Yeah, thanks," Ichigo said, nodding as he walked out the door.

As soon as they heard the front door slide shut, Urahara spun to face Yoruichi. "Why didn't you want me to tell him? It's only fair for him to have some warning about what he's walking into before he leaves. I know I'd want to know beforehand if I was going to have to choose a bride from among the four high noble families!"

"Good thing it's not you, then, isn't it Kisuke?" she replied sarcastically, "I can't imagine anyone from the four families that would put up with you."

"Very funny," Urahara said.

"Besides, a retainer from the royal household will be sent to instruct him before he returns to Soul Society."

"Ahhh, I see. So, who have you chosen to represent the Shihouin? One of your cousins? A niece perhaps?"

"Me. I'm going to represent the family myself."

"YOU!" Urahara said, opening his fan to hide the lower half of his face though it did nothing to mask the amusement in his eyes. "Robbing the cradle a little, aren't we, Yoruichi-san?"

She took a sip of her tea and used her cup to hide her own smile. "Please, Kisuke. As though anybody could compete with Kuchiki Rukia for his affections. A snowball would have a better chance against Yamamoto-soutaichou's Ryuujin Jakka." Urahara could restrain himself no longer and closed his fan, chuckling at the remarkably fitting analogy. "Since those of us from the other three houses have that slim of a chance," she continued, "I thought I'd at least have some fun with it." She set her empty cup down on the table and started heading for the door.

"Leaving so soon?" Urahara asked, falling in step behind her.

"I'm going back to Soul Society. I promised Kuukaku that I would stop by and chat for a while since she says I only visit when I need a favor. Besides," she grinned, "I think it would be interesting to discuss our choice of suitors with her."

"Tell her I said hello, then."

"Sure thing. See ya in a couple of days, Kisuke. Try not to let Ichigo get killed between now and then."

* * *

_**The previous night...**_

"What!" shouted Rukia, causing the servants to scurry out of the room. "Nii-sama, you can't possibly be serious!"

"I am. As the head of the Kuchiki family, I have chosen you to vie for the affections of the newly anointed Spirit King."

"But, nii-sama! What about my work as a shinigami? What about the former ryoka? Nobody knows them as well as I do!"

"What about your Kurosaki Ichigo, you mean?" Byakuya asked dryly.

Rukia's face turned crimson and she looked away. "Yes," she said quietly.

"You know I have never liked that boy," her brother said, "and it has always concerned me how close the two of you were getting."

Rukia looked up at him, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, searching Byakuya's impassive expression for a long moment. She crossed her arms across her chest as though to hold herself back physically from what she was about to say, and dropped her eyes to her feet before whispering, "I love him, nii-sama."

"_Perfect, Rukia," _Byakuya thought smugly, _"because I'm sure he feels the same way about you. When I broke my vow to Hisana, he kept you safe. I will never break that vow again. After all that you've been through in the Rukongai, with Kaien, and with Aizen, you will finally know happiness with him. He may be an ill-mannered, low class brat now, but he has been and always will be willing to do anything for you. Even at the cost of his own life."_

Keeping his thoughts and his emotions to himself, Byakuya continued to press her, "That is of no consequence, Rukia. This potential marriage is for the good of the family, and I have made my decision. There will be a ceremony upon his arrival in Soul Society and you will be introduced to him. Afterwards, you and the candidates from the other three families will be given an opportunity to court him. Use the three days between now and then to prepare yourself and make plans to impress him. I am told he has a...fondness....for the living world. Perhaps you could use that to your advantage," he said, turning and leaving her alone.

He walked down the corridor to his own chambers still deep in thought _"In addition to Rukia's happiness," _he thought,_ "the elders will finally get off my back about adopting her. I cannot believe they would still try to disown her, even __after__ her name was cleared when Aizen's treachery was exposed. A Kuchiki suitor has never had the honor of being selected as queen before. It will be difficult to ensure that those cowards do not take undeserved credit after the way they have mistreated her." _He paused for a moment to remove his haori before sitting down to his evening meal. It wouldn't be proper for him to stain it with some of the rich sauce his meat was practically swimming in. A sudden thought hit him, causing him to pause with his first bite halfway to his mouth. _"Even as king, that boy will still never address me properly. Still...being on a first name basis with the Spirit King cannot be all __that__ bad." _He sighed and resumed his meal.

Meanwhile, back in her chambers, Rukia was completely alone. Despite being surrounded by all the luxury of the Kuchiki manor, she felt as though she'd just been robbed of her greatest treasure. Stunned, she sat down on her bed with her face in her hands, shoulders shaking as she sobbed. When she could cry no more, she dried her eyes and looked out the window to see the sun setting above the gardens. The color of the sky reminded her of carrots, and of...."Ichigo," she sighed and laid her head down on the bed, "I'm sorry."

* * *

_**...and back to the present.**_

"I'm home!" Ichigo called, taking off his shoes.

"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu called from the kitchen, "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I saw my first real ghost today! Up till now they've just been blurry blobs moving around, but today I actually saw one! A little boy, walking down the street with a broken chain attached to his chest," she pointed, "right here!"

"That's great, Yuzu!" he said, almost as excited as she was. _"That should make telling her about all of this a lot easier, anyway," _he thought.

"I know! The only bad thing is that Dad still can't see them," she said, her face falling a little.

"_If you only knew," _he thought. "Speaking of the old man, have you seen Dad and Karin around?"

"Dad's in the clinic and I think Karin's still upstairs," she answered, "but they'll be back in a bit because Lunch is almost ready. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," he lied, "just curious. What are you making for lunch?"

"Dad asked me to make curry today," she said.

Ichigo shook his head. "Leave it to Dad to be sure I got my favorite foods before I leave," he said quietly.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said, "just talking to myself."

"You're acting weird, Ichigo. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"_Damn. Should've known I couldn't keep it hidden from them,"_ Ichigo thought. "I'm fine," he said.

"Okaaay," she said, still suspicious. "Wash up and tell Karin to come down for lunch. I'll call Dad."

Fifteen minutes later the Kurosaki family sat down to eat one of their last meals together. Once they were finished, Ichigo and Isshin just stared at their plates, reluctant to make the first move, but both knowing it was a necessary evil. Suddenly Ichigo felt his father kick him gently under the table and looked up.

"We need to tell them now," Isshin mouthed.

Ichigo nodded and mouthed back, "Go on."

"Girls," Isshin began, "your brother and I have something we need to tell you. I don't know how to tell you this but..."

"Rukia-nee is pregnant!" Karin shouted, causing Yuzu to cover her mouth in shock.

"Really?" asked Yuzu, looking back and forth between her father and brother, "Is it yours Ichi-nii?"

"NO!" roared Ichigo, his face as red as a tomato.

"Though that would probably be easier to explain," Isshin mumbled.

"Okay, so what is it?" Karin asked, "Get to the point already!"

Starting with the basics the same way Rukia did the first night she met him, Ichigo explained what the shinigami were. Then Isshin took his turn to explain who he really was, leaving Ichigo with the unpleasant task of telling his sisters that he was leaving.

"For how long?" asked Yuzu, tears welling up in her eyes, "You've been gone so much since you first became a...what was that word again?"

"Shinigami," replied Isshin as he wrapped his arms around his daughter, "and we really don't know how long it will be before Ichigo gets a chance to visit us again.

"As soon and as often as I can," Ichigo said, reaching out to squeeze Yuzu's shoulder, "I promise."

Karin sat up and leaned across the table, "So let me get this straight: Ichigo's going to this Soul Society place that you and Rukia-nee come from to become the king?" Isshin nodded. "And there's no telling when or if he'll get the chance to come home again?" Isshin nodded again. "Okay, I think I understand this. I've seen Ichi-nii as a shinigami before, so that part's not as much of a shock to me as it is to Yuzu. As for the bit about becoming the king...," she trailed off and exploded into laughter. "Well, I just have a hard time seeing Ichigo as anything but the king of the dorks."

* * *

The rest of the day passed quietly. Ichigo spent the rest of the afternoon and a good part of the evening in his room packing. "I never knew I had so much stuff," he grumbled as he taped another box shut. He sat down on his bed and ran his hand through his hair, shaking loose the sweat that had accumulated while he worked. _"Disgusting,"_ he thought, _"I really need a shower."_ His mind made up, he had just opened his closet to set out fresh clothes when he caught sight of Rukia's sketchbook sticking out from under her pillow He picked it up and started to thumb through it, smirking at her 'crappy drawings' as he sat down on her pallet. A sudden inspiration struck him and he pulled her pencil from the spiral binding and flipped the sketchbook to its first blank page. For a moment no sound could be heard but the scratching of graphite on paper. Ichigo held the sketchbook up, surveying his work before he replaced the pencil and shut the sketchbook.

"_All day, today, I've felt like I was drowning. Like I was standing on the edge of a disaster I couldn't do anything to prevent, but somehow something about sitting here,in her usual place is comforting to me,"_ he thought. He inhaled deeply and caught her scent rising from the pile of bedding he was sitting on. He set her sketchbook back in its usual place and picked up her pillow, crushing it to his chest like a shipwrecked sailor holding on to a life preserver. He sighed contentedly, feeling in this place at this time, that everything was going to be okay. The only thing missing was her. "Rukia," Ichigo sighed into the pillow before putting it down and slowly pulling the closet door shut.

He crossed the hall to the bathroom, but stopped just short of opening the door. He could swear that he heard the sound of someone crying coming from Yuzu and Karin's room next door. Without bothering to knock, he walked in to find Karin huddled on her bed. When she heard him come in she sat up with a jerk, red eyes blazing with anger until she saw who it was. "Ichigo!" she cried, running across the room to wrap her arms around him. Ichigo was beside himself. Karin hadn't cried like this since before their mother died. He hugged her tight, feeling her shudder as she soaked his shirt with tears. "Shh, Karin. It's okay."

"It's not okay," she bawled, pulling away from him. "You're leaving us alone here with goat-chin!"

Ichigo laughed softly and put his hands on her shoulders, "He's not as bad as you think," he told her, "trust me. Besides, I'll be okay."

"I know you will, Ichigo," she sniffed, "and we will, too, I guess. But what about Rukia-nee? What are we supposed to tell her when she gets back?"

"I don't know," he said truthfully.

"Will she be able to see you in that Soul Society place?"

Ichigo's heart sank into his feet. "I don't know," he said, "but I hope so."

"I hope so, too," said Karin. "She really cares for you a lot, Ichigo. I can tell."

"I...I know," he said quietly, "I feel the same way about her."

Karin dried her eyes with the backs of her hands and pushed Ichigo away.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, a note of confusion entering his voice.

"You smell like a water buffalo," she said, pinching her nose and smiling up at him weakly.

"I know," he said, "I was on my way to get cleaned up when I heard you in here."

"So go, then!" she said, ushering him out the door. "Can't have the new Spirit King smelling like a wild animal, now can we?"

Ichigo laughed out loud for the first time since Renji brought the message from Yamamoto. "Thanks, Karin," he said as he turned the corner into the bathroom.

"Whatever," she said.

* * *

Freshly showered, Ichigo lay across his bed staring at the rising moon, his mind in a whirl. _"I wonder where Rukia is and what she's up to tonight?"_, he thought. _"I hope Byakuya lets her come back tomorrow. I really want to see her before I have to leave. What if he doesn't, though? What if I don't get to see her again, ever?"_ A cold fear gnawed at his gut as that rumbled through his mind. _"If I don't get to see her again then I don't want the job,_" he said to himself. _"What in the hell am I supposed to do once I get there? I know before Aizen made his move the king was just a symbolic leader and the Central 46 actually ran the day to day affairs of Soul Society. Now that they're gone how much of their decisions will be made between me and Yamamoto?"_ Ichigo sighed, feeling overwhelmed again and wondering if it was too early to take a vacation from his duties as the Spirit King. _"I hope I'll be able to visit my friends and family," _he thought, _"even if it's only once a year. Yuzu and Karin would be heartbroken if they had to wait until they came to Soul Society to see me again."_ He sighed, closing his eyes and trying to feel for Rukia's reiatsu, hoping against hope that she was already back in the living world. No such luck though, so with his mind filled with thoughts of her, he drifted into a fitful slumber.


	3. Goodbyes and Hello Again

_**Chapter 3: Goodbyes and Hello Again**_

Ichigo awoke before dawn and sat up, scratching his head. He looked around the room bleary eyed until his gaze fell on the clock. "Four in the morning," he sighed, rubbing his eyes and swinging his legs down to the floor. Instead of floor, though, he felt a warm body beneath his feet. He jumped back onto the bed and craned his neck to look down in a vain attempt to identify the person lying on his bedroom floor. "Rukia?" he asked hopefully, hearing the fabric of their clothes shift. _"But no,"_ he thought, _"even when she stayed in here, she wouldn't be sleeping on the floor." _Despite his doubts, a very feminine moan reached his ears and the color began to rise in his cheeks. "Oi!" he called softly, "Wake up!" Now more desperate than ever to find out exactly who in the world it could be, he slid off the end of his bed and kicked the bottoms of their feet. "WAKE UP!" he said, louder.

"Hrrrrnnnnngg," she answered.

"WAKE UP, DAMMIT!" yelled Ichigo, kicking harder.

"Go away!" groaned an unfamiliar voice, causing Ichigo to freeze with his leg drawn back to kick her again. He flipped the lights on, flooding his room with light and saw a beautiful woman, apparently in her late twenties, lying on his floor dressed in a black yukata tied with an white obi. Her blond hair spilled around her like a halo.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my bedroom!" shouted Ichigo at a volume that should have woken the neighbors.

The woman finally sat up, rubbing her eyes, blinking at him while she adjusted to the light. When she could see well enough to identify him, her hand suddenly fluttered to her mouth and her eyes widened in horror. She fell forward, touching her forehead to the carpet. "I-Ichigo-dono!" she gasped, "forgive me! I didn't know it was you! I'm sorry!"

"I asked who you were," he said, gritting his teeth as what little patience he had left ebbed away.

"My name is Amekaeru," she said in a shaky voice, "and I am a retainer of the royal house."

"_Retainer of the royal house?"_, Ichigo thought, _"Already? I've got to start this ignorant shit NOW? I thought I still had two days!"_ Rather than voice his annoyance he simply replied, "I also asked you what you were doing in my bedroom."

"I have been sent to guide you through your ascent to the throne, Ichigo-dono. Didn't Isshin-dono tell you that I would be coming?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. It came as no surprise that his father knew what was going on. He blew out a breath, still trying to calm himself down when he noticed that she hadn't moved. "Oi! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Ichigo-dono," she replied crisply.

"Then why haven't you moved since you started talking to me? And what's with the -dono? There's nothing special about me!"

"I beg your pardon, Ichigo-dono, but it would be inappropriate of me to address you any other way. You are the king. I haven't moved because you have not given me permission to rise."

"Oh for the love of...stand up, already!" he growled. "And I'm not the king. Not yet, anyway, so please just call me...," he trailed off, hearing footsteps running down the hall.

"GOOD MOR-NING I-CHI-GOOO!" Isshin screamed, running into the room at full speed and jumping onto the bed with a crash. Ichigo brought his hand up to smack himself in the forehead.

"What do you want, Dad?" he said as his father searched through the blankets for him.

Isshin jumped off the bed and landed between him and Amekaeru, who had just started to rise when he burst in. "Amekaeru-san!" he cried, wrapping her in a warm embrace. "So good to see you again! It's been, what? 150 years?"

"Yes, Isshin-dono," she replied, bowing at the waist, "something like that. Are you well?"

"Fine, fine," he said as he clapped Ichigo on the shoulder. "I see you've already met Ichigo."

"Yes," she said, "but only just now."

"Yeah," said Ichigo, "this maniac was sleeping on the floor beside my bed. I nearly stepped on her."

"You wouldn't want to do that, son," Isshin replied with a grin,"Amekaeru may look like a dainty thing, but I promise you she's as tough as any shinigami you'll meet. She sure kept me in line when I was a younger man."

Ichigo's jaw dropped. "You've known her that long?" he asked, incredulous.

"Absolutely! Amekaeru was one of my father's most loyal servants, and the best babysitter any kid could ask for," he said with a wink.

"So, what was your reward for having to babysit this animal?" Ichigo asked, jerking a thumb at his father."

A smile graced Amekaeru's face. "When you're taking care of children, you often find that the joy they have is contagious, and that's reward enough. I'm sure you'll find that out for yourself when you start having your own children."

Ichigo blushed as a sudden picture of Rukia smiling at him while holding a tiny bundle of blankets with a tuft of orange hair sticking out of one end came into his mind. He shook his head violently to clear the image. "I don't think that'll be for a while. I'm not even married!"

"But you will be soon, Ichigo-dono," Amekaeru said eagerly, looking at him with shining eyes.

"What?!" yelped Ichigo, looking back and forth between them.

Isshin shuffled his feet and stared at the floor. "Well, Ichigo, you see...,"

"Yes," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Isshin looked up at Amekaeru with pleading eyes, and she nodded. "In order to become the Spirit King," she said, "you must choose a queen from among four candidates put forth by the highest noble families in Soul Society."

"WHAT!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"I'm afraid not, son," Isshin said, finally looking up at his distressed progeny. "You will be presented to the nobles upon your arrival in Soul Society and be introduced to your suitors. They will each have twenty-four hours to win your affections. After that, you'll have another twenty-four hours to deliberate before you must choose between them."

Ichigo's knees began to shake and he realized he was gasping for breath. _"A week? I'm going to be married in a week? What the hell am I going to do? How am I supposed to make a decision like that? What about Rukia?!"_ His mind reeling, he felt his father's strong hands guiding him back to his bed. He allowed himself to be pushed down into a sitting position and put his head in his hands, covering his eyes as though to block out the world....even if just for a moment. As his breathing slowed and became more even he became aware of his father sitting beside him rubbing his back and shoulders to calm him down. He allowed his fingers to open and slowly opened his eyes. What he saw made him leap from the bed in a panic: his closet door was open. "Who opened my closet?" he demanded, turning on Amekaeru. "W-were you messing around in there?" he stammered, his heart pounding, mind filling with fear.

"N-no, Ichigo-dono," she said, "I touched nothing from the time I arrived. "

Ichigo flipped the closet light on and began looking around frantically. All of Rukia's clothes were gone. He lifted the pile of bedding, searching for a shred of evidence that she'd ever been there, but came up empty. Finally, reluctantly, he lifted her pillow, remembering the sketchbook she'd always kept there. The only thing left was a small nick in the pillowcase where the spiral binding had torn a hole. Ichigo staggered backwards into his father's waiting arms. The elder Kurosaki put his hands on Ichigo's shoulders gently to steady him.

"Wh-where's all of Rukia's stuff?" he asked without turning around.

"I'm afraid Kuchiki Byakuya sent a pair of servants here to collect her things last night after you fell asleep," said Isshin with uncharacteristic sympathy in his voice.

"Why? Where's Rukia?"

"Still in Soul Society. They told me that the 'family business' that Rukia was involved in could take much longer than she anticipated."

"How much longer?" Ichigo asked, turning to face his father, his fists clenched at his sides.

"They didn't say."

Ichigo spun and punched the open closet door, knocking it off its track, feeling the hot tears burning in the corners of his eyes. "Dammit!" he shouted.

"Ichigo-dono," Amekaeru said softly, "You will see Kuchiki Rukia-sama in Soul Society."

"You can't promise me that," he spat as he stormed out of the room and down the stairs, sounding like a herd of elephants.

"Actually, I can," she said, turning to Isshin, "Kuchiki Byakuya has sent word that he has chosen her as the Kuchiki family suitor."

His eyes went wide with surprise for a second before he started roaring with laughter. "That sneaky bastard!" he cackled, "That's pretty slick, Byakuya...you got yourself a ringer."

"Apparently this is good news," Amekaeru said, eying Isshin's display of mirth. "Shall I inform Ichigo-dono?"

"No! It'll be a nice surprise for him," he said. "Let's just worry about getting him ready for the trip."

* * *

Ichigo spent the majority of that day bored out of his mind learning protocol and procedure from Amekaeru and Isshin. The clock felt like it had slowed to a crawl. By the middle of the afternoon, he was more than ready to make a break for the door, and when five o'clock came around he excused himself to get ready for the party. After he had showered and changed his clothes, he took one last look in the mirror and knocked on the closet out of habit. "Oi! Come on, midget, we're going to be late!" The words were barely out of his mouth when he realized the only answer he would get was the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears. He hung his head and trudged downstairs.

"I'm going now!" he called back into the house.

"Have a good time, Ichi-nii!" Yuzu called from the kitchen where she was busy fixing dinner.

"Don't party too hard," Karin said with a sly grin from where she sat on the couch.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" called Isshin on his way back out to the clinic to see his last patient.

"Che. As if," he said under his breath as he opened the door and stepped out into the cool spring evening. He took a deep breath and caught the faint scent of the cherry blossoms wafting on the breeze. He blew the breath out and started walking to the club where his friends, he was sure, were already waiting.

Twenty minutes later, he opened the door on a scene of organized chaos. He was met with cheers and shouted greetings from several classmates before Chad made a motion to the deejay and the music started. He could feel the pulsing, hypnotic dance track resonating in his chest as the dance floor dissolved into a mass of writhing bodies. He found a comfortable spot and sat down, just taking a moment to enjoy the atmosphere when Uryuu sat heavily in the chair across from him. "Ishida," he said, acknowledging his friend.

"Kurosaki," the Quincy replied, "I take it you don't feel much like dancing?"

Ichigo shook his head, still surveying the room. "Not really. You guys really did a nice job in here," he said.

Ishida shrugged, something on his collar catching the light. "Chalk that up to Mizuiro's 'girlfriend'."

Ichigo tried hard to focus on the lightly colored mark on Ishida's white collar without attracting any attention. Unfortunately, Ishida was far too observant for that.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"You've got something right....there," Ichigo said, reaching across the table to indicate the odd shape outlined on the side of his friend's neck. Ishida's face flushed and he mumbled something Ichigo wasn't able to catch over the music.

"I-CHI-GOOOOO," a voice drawled in his ear as a pair of arms snaked around his neck from behind. Ichigo jerked away, causing his attacker to half fall, half sit in the chair next to him.

"Keigo," Ichigo cried, "what the hell is wrong with you!"

"Apparently half is 'one too many' for our resident lightweight," said Mizuiro, appearing out of the crowd to answer the question.

"Nooo, Mizuiro," the very drunk Keigo whined, "I wanna have another one!"

"I think you've had enough, Asano-san," Mizuiro said before whispering to Ichigo, "It's a shame to waste good alcohol on the wuss!"

Ichigo smirked as Mizuiro put his shoulder under Keigo's armpit to help him stand and the pair wandered off in search of the bathroom. With the distractions gone, he again focused his attention on the familiar-looking mark on Ishida's shirt. _"Just what __is__ that? As much pride as Ishida takes in keeping his appearance neat and clean, it's not like him to wear stained clothes, even to a party like this one."_

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Inoue! Some party you guys put together! I've seen just about everyone else, but where's Tatsuki?"

"Well," she said, stealing a glance at Ishida, "actually, she found a couple of cute guys that thought they could drink her under the table."

Ichigo couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Tatsuki involved in a drinking game. He felt sorry for those two unlucky morons that decided to challenge her. He detected a whiff of alcohol on her breath as she told the story and looked up to see a noticeable flush on Orihime's cheeks. He also saw a very familiar color on her lips that looked an awful lot like..._"No way! Ishida and Inoue?!" _He stared hard at the Quincy until the other met his eye, then glanced at Inoue and back at him with raised eyebrows, receiving a sheepish grin for his trouble. Inoue finished her story and excused herself to see if she could find Tatsuki before she got in any more trouble.

Eventually, the party began to wind down as the guests were all either too tired or too intoxicated to keep the energy up. Ichigo hadn't moved from the chair he'd been in all night. Ishida was nodding, while Inoue rested her head on his shoulder, drawing in the condensation on the glass in front of her. Keigo sat beside them passed out, leaving a puddle of drool on the table, only stirring for a moment when the music faded away and Mizuiro rang the bell for last call. After the last of the guests had staggered out the door and gone their separate ways Ichigo stood up and walked outside to clear his head. He was still standing there, staring up at the moon, lost in thoughts of the friend most noticeably absent when Inoue touched his arm. He turned to see his closest friends gathered behind him by the doorway. He flashed them a sad smile. "I just wanted to thank you guys for putting all this together," he began, "I had a really good time tonight. I also got a little bit of news this morning that I need to share with you."

"What now, Kurosaki?" Ishida sighed.

"I'm going to be getting married."

"You're _**what**_?" gasped Orihime.

Ichigo nodded, in total agreement with her shock. "Yeah, apparently I have to choose a queen. Fun, huh?"

"Should've made this your bachelor party then, shouldn't we?" Mizuiro asked with a grin, still trying to prop Keigo up, "It's going to be Kuchiki-san, though, right?"

Ichigo's face fell and he shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think that's an option," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun," Inoue said, stepping forward to give him a hug, "we all know how much you cared about her."

Ichigo lifted his eyes from the pavement and looked around at the nodding heads and sympathetic faces. "Thanks, everyone. I'm going to miss this."

"Shut up, Kurosaki," Ishida snorted, "it's not like you're never going to see us again. It's getting late. We should all really be getting home." He stuck out his hand and Ichigo gripped it in a firm handshake. "So long, Kurosaki, and good luck."

"Thanks, Ishida, same to you," Ichigo said with a grin, "and take care of Inoue."

Ishida looked away nervously as his face flushed again. "Shall we, Inoue-san?"

"Yeah," she said, turning to face Ichigo again, "see ya, Kurosaki-kun."

"I'm going, too," said Tatsuki, smacking Ichigo on the back. "Good luck, Ichigo."

Ichigo stood there and watched as his friends walked away.

"They'll be okay, Ichigo," Chad said, his bass voice rumbling. "We all will."

"Thanks, Chad," Ichigo said, "I know you will."

"Take care of yourself. I will keep the promise I made to you by defending this place while you're gone. I will still use my fists for you."

"You do that," Ichigo said, taking the hand the larger man offered him and finding himself pulled into a backslapping bear hug. "Take care of yourself, " Ichigo said as he turned his feet toward home.

"You too."

* * *

"Ganju! Get your sorry ass in here!" Shiba Kuukaku yelled.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" he growled as he opened the door to her chambers to find her reclining comfortably.

"Get the tea ready! Yoruichi will be here soon."

"What does she want this time?" he said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"Her message said she's coming to discuss who we're going to choose to be suitors for the new Spirit King."

"Who are you going to choose, nee-san?"

Kuukaku put on a sly smile and looked at her little brother out of the corner of her eye. "I'd thought about sending you, Ganju."

"ME?! Why me? The Spirit King is a guy! I'm not into guys, nee-san!"

Kuukaku leapt from her reclined position and knocked Ganju to the floor, her knees in his back, easily restraining both of his arms with her one good arm. "Having a connection to the king would be very good for our family. I would be very disappointed to miss out on an opportunity like that, and you wouldn't want to disappoint me now, would you Ganju?" she said menacingly, leaning to the right and almost dislocating his shoulder.

"N-no, nee-san!" he grunted, sweat beads forming on his brow as he struggled to turn and reduce the amount of force she was applying to his body.

They heard a masculine laugh coming from the doorway and both looked up to see Yoruichi in her feline form walking toward them. "I think Ganju would be perfect for him, Kuukaku. But considering who the competition is, I'm afraid he wouldn't make the cut."

Kuukaku released her brother and greeted her friend warmly. "So, Yoruichi, who will the Shihouin be sending as a suitor?"

"I will be representing the family myself," she replied casually.

"Oh, really," Kuukaku said with a grin as she sat back down and picked up the tea Ganju had poured her, "got a thing for the king now?"

Yoruichi sputtered and spat out the mouthful of tea she had just lapped from the saucer that was put before her. "What?! NO! You know I'm already in a relationship. Besides, even if I did, I think the Kuchiki family has this in the bag already."

Kuukaku laughed. "Have you talked to her about it?"

"Who? Rukia?"

"No," she said, shaking her head, "your little bee."

Yoruichi's fur rippled. "No, but I'm sure Soi Fon will be okay. I mean, she knows nothing's going to happen between me and Ichigo anyway..."

Ganju's jaw dropped as the pieces started to click in his mind. "Wait a minute...Rukia?! Ichigo?!" he shouted, interrupting her. "Kurosaki Ichigo is the new Spirit King?! You've got to be kidding me!"

Kuukaku connected with a punch that rolled Ganju through the rice paper wall behind him. "Didn't I teach you manners, Ganju? Do you need a refresher course?" she growled, narrowing her eyes at him and cocking back her arm for another swing.

Ganju pulled himself out of the remains of the wall and bowed his head to his elder sister and her guest, "I'm sorry, nee-san, but is it the same Ichigo?"

"Of course, you idiot," she snorted, turning her attention back to Yoruichi. "I guess I should give Kuchiki-san the same courtesy, then. I'll represent the Shiba family myself. It'll be fun to mess with the kid, eh, Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi broke out in a laughing fit that seemed out of proportion with her feline form. "Yeah. Gotta get our jibes in while we can," she replied.

"So, are you going to spend your time with him as 'Shihouin Yoruichi, stunningly beautiful shinigami' or 'Yoruichi, furry black house cat?' "

"Hmm, " she said, thinking deeply. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to mess with him a little more by staying like this the entire time."

Kuukaku grinned and raised her tea in salute. "This should be GOOD."

* * *

Ichigo had been out until after 2am, wandering the streets one last time and visiting places that held important memories: the roof of the school, the park where he'd accepted his mission as a substitute shinigami, the classroom where he'd been reunited with Rukia, finally passing the place in front of the clinic where he'd defeated his first hollow. Tears welled up in his eyes as he gently touched the street lamp Rukia had been leaning on that night as she ran her zanpakuto through his heart. _"She changed my life forever that night," _he thought, _"in so many ways I can't even count them all."_ He rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands and leaned on the pole himself, looking up into the sky. "Rukia," he whispered, "I'm sorry..." He jumped as he felt a small hand on his shoulder and spun to see Amekaeru standing behind him.

"Ichigo-dono," she said, bowing her head slightly, "everything is prepared for our departure in the morning, but you must come in and rest. You will have much to do when we arrive in Soul Society." He took a shaky breath and nodded before following her inside the house for the last time. Walking into his room, the first thing he noticed were the stacks of boxes and the bare walls. Apparently someone had finished packing his things while he was gone. He lay down on the bed and curled up under the blankets, desperately hoping that in the morning he would awaken to find that it had all been a dream. He entertained that thought for no more than five minutes before exhaustion conquered him and dragged him into a deep sleep.

The morning of the third day came with little fanfare in Karakura town. "There isn't any need for long, teary goodbyes today," Isshin had told the girls before waking Ichigo up, "we're a part of the family and can come and go as we please. We just need to give him some time to get settled before we start showing up to visit." Once he was awake and dressed, Ichigo and his family sat down to a normal breakfast, with everyone laughing and chatting the same way they had every morning since Masaki's death. When everyone had finished eating Isshin cleared his throat and called, "Kon! Come in here. It's time."

The plush lion swaggered into the kitchen, looking up at Ichigo with a triumphant smirk. "Time, eh? Well, come on, Ichigo, get out of there."

"Bostov!" Yuzu cried, her jaw dropping open, "You can talk!"

Sweat broke out on Kon's forehead as he thought back to the last time he'd been called 'Bostov'.

"Yuzu, Karin, this is Kon," Isshin explained. "He's a...friend...of Ichigo's, so be sure to take extra special care of him."

Kon's eyes glazed over as his mind drifted through fantasies of 'extra special care': being served Yuzu's cooking, lounging around endlessly while being waited on hand and foot, bathing with the two girls as they matured through puberty. Noticing the puddle of drool forming on the floor in front of him, Ichigo pressed his substitute shinigami badge to his chest, allowing Isshin to catch his body as it fell forward. He then reached down and yanked Kon up from the floor roughly, growling in his ear, "Listen, Kon: first of all, that's still my body, and I'm leaving it with Urahara so you don't mess with it. Second, if you try any crazy, perverted stuff on my sisters while I'm gone, so help me I'll make sure Ishida uses you for scrap material." Before the mod soul could answer, Ichigo tossed him to Yuzu.

Kon rolled his eyes and said "I promise, Ichigo," in his best singsong voice, "I'll be good."

"You'd better," said Karin, "because if you don't you'll have me to deal with." She smiled evilly, causing Kon to shudder as he remembered her powerful kick.

"Ichigo-dono, Isshin-dono," Amekaeru called from the foyer, "it is time."

Yuzu rushed to her brother's side and hugged him tight, gathering the folds of his shihakusho in her tiny fists. He tossed his substitute shinigami badge to his father and returned the embrace. "Be good, Yuzu. Don't cause too much trouble for Dad, okay? I'll come see you as soon as I can."

"Okay, Ichi-nii," she sniffed, barely holding back her tears as she backed away from him.

"Oh for crying out loud, Yuzu!" Karin said, rolling her eyes, "You heard him. He'll be back." Despite her brave words, she clung to him as fiercely as her twin and dried her tears on his sleeve. "Behave yourself, Ichigo," she said with a wink as he walked out the front door.

The walk to Urahara's shop seemed to take forever and Ichigo savored every moment of it, every breath of familiar air. Before he knew it, though, he was standing in front of the senkai gate in the cavern under the shop. His eyes widened as the gate opened and two hell butterflies fluttered out. Isshin saw his expression out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "Like the deep breath before the plunge, eh, son?"

Startled out of his reverie, Ichigo nearly tripped over his own two feet. "Wh-what?"

"You look nervous, Ichigo. Try to relax a little. Amekaeru is here to help you, too."

"I'm trying to relax," he said, frustration evident in his voice.

"Ichigo," his father said, grabbing his shoulders, "I told you the other day, but I'm going to tell you again so you don't forget. I'm very proud of you, and your mother would be too. You'll be fine. I'm sure we'll get to come to see you soon."

"Ichigo-dono," Amekaeru said, touching his sleeve, "we must go now. I'm sorry."

Isshin gave him a gentle shove in the direction of the open gate. "Take care of yourself!" he called as he watched his only son step across the threshold and take the first steps into his new life. Hearing this, Ichigo paused and turned his head to look back at those gathered to see him off: Urahara, Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta stood smiling behind his father. As the gate began to close, Isshin made eye contact with Ichigo one last time and flashed him a quick thumbs up. Ichigo grinned and surprisingly returned the gesture just before the doors slid shut behind him.

"Shall we go, Ichigo-dono?" Amekaeru asked, gesturing to the path ahead of them.

Unable to speak, Ichigo just nodded, set his jaw and began walking, only vaguely aware of what was waiting on the other end of the tunnel.

* * *

From where he stood on the platform overlooking the arena, Yamamoto Genryuusai could see the senkai gate materialize. He turned to his fuku-taichou and spoke, "Is everything ready?"

"Yes, Yamamoto-soutaichou. Everything has been prepared."

"Good," he said softly as he saw the gate opening, then loud enough for the four woman beside him to hear, "it is time."

One by one, the four suitors stood and motioned for the members of their house to do the same. All eyes turned to the gate as the hell butterflies appeared, followed by a black clad woman and an orange-haired shinigami.

Rukia's jaw dropped as she recognized the man standing before them. "I-Ichigo!" she whispered, turning to look up at Byakuya where he stood behind her, his eyes locked on the young man in question. "Nii-sama?" she said in disbelief, hope fluttering in her chest.

"Shhh," Byakuya said without looking at her, though she could swear she saw the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

A sudden realization dawned on Rukia, _"He knew. Nii-sama knew this entire time that Ichigo was going to be the king! But he has always hated Ichigo..._" Her eyes got wide as her next thought echoed in her mind, _"I wonder if Byakuya chose me just so Ichigo wouldn't blow a gasket and do something irrational? I mean Ichigo did practically turn the entire Seireitei into a hornet's nest when he came to rescue me. Or ...is it possible? Could this be nii-sama's way of showing kindness? By hiding it behind a logical reason? Whatever the reason, he chose me to be the Kuchiki suitor knowing I could end up married to him. Married. To Ichigo...." _The sound of Yamamoto-soutaichou's cane pounding on stone snapped her back to reality.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Yamamoto called, "step forward." Ichigo stepped forward proudly, looking across the platform to where Yamamoto stood. "By what right do you claim the throne of the Spirit King?"

Ichigo smirked, having rehearsed this with Amekaeru the day before. "I, Kurosaki Ichigo, am the eldest son of Isshin, second son of Furuihana."

"What of your father, known to us as Kurosaki Isshin?"

This question caught Ichigo slightly off guard and he glanced at Amekaeru, who merely nodded and whispered, "Tell him!"

"He has chosen to remain in the living world and raise his daughters."

"That is to be expected. Then, in accordance with the ancient laws of succession, I acknowledge you, Kurosaki Ichigo, as the legal heir to the throne of the Spirit King. Your coronation will be held immediately after your wedding." He held up his hands to forestall cheers from those assembled before continuing, "To that end, I present the suitors from the four highest noble houses of Soul Society!"

Ichigo's eyes widened as the first suitor stepped out of the shadows behind Yamamoto, hair flowing down her back, her catlike eyes dancing with mirth as she bowed gracefully to him. "From the house of Shihouin, Yoruichi." Remembering what Amekaeru had taught him about showing the respect due a lady in a situation like this, he inclined his head toward her and she rose, stepping back beside Yamamoto.

The second suitor stepped forward, and Ichigo had to blink to be sure he wasn't seeing things. "From the house of Shiba," Yamamoto called, "Kuukaku." Kuukaku smiled politely at Ichigo. Once they had exchanged bows, she rose and gave him a wink before stepping back into line.

The third suitor had an unfamiliar face, but a very familiar haughty attitude. A glimmer of carefully braided golden hair shone as she bowed. "From the house of Kasumi-Ouji, Akame," Yamamoto said. _"Kasumi-Ouji?"_ thought Ichigo as he returned her bow, _"Oh, no...that means she's related to Lurichiyo. Oh, this can't be good..."_

"And from the house of Kuchiki, Rukia."

"Rukia!" Ichigo breathed, blinking his eyes at the vision before him. Her raven hair was held back by a beautiful violet scarf that matched her eyes. The kimono she wore was a pale lavender with a pale green ivy pattern. She smiled as their eyes met and he thought his heart would burst, until he saw Byakuya standing behind her staring at him coldly. _"Why you son of a bitch," _he thought, _"I bet you just loved getting to bring her back here and mess with my head like that." _Despite his irritation about the way he'd handled things, Ichigo bowed to Rukia and silently thanked the elder Kuchiki for choosing her. At least there would be one normal person for him to spend time with.

"_Thank you, nii-sama,"_ Rukia thought as she locked eyes with Ichigo again, _"for allowing me to see him again. For choosing me and giving me the chance to be happy with him, even if only for a day."_ She stepped back into the shadows and Yamamoto banged his cane on the stone again.

"Thus begins the courtship process," Yamamoto said, "The four suitors will spend the next twenty-four hours planning how best to win your affections. They will each be given one day alone with you with no outside interference. After you have spent time with each of them, you will be given twenty-four hours to deliberate and make your choice. Once your decision is made, you will be immediately wed and crowned the next Spirit King. Do you understand?"

"I do," Ichigo replied, quickly getting tired of the formality.

"Very well," said Yamamoto with a nod, "due to your connections with the other squads, arrangements for your lodging have been made with the 8th division. Kyouraku Shunsui-taichou will assist you in getting settled. Suitors, do not forget that you are required to meet with Amekaeru in the first division's barracks in two hours. This ceremony is adjourned." He nodded to his fuku-taichou who rang a great bell behind the platform. At the sound, everyone present got on one knee and bowed their head to the newly acknowledged king. Ichigo stood there, his face flushing crimson until the bell rang a second time and the nobles stood and began filing out of the arena.

"Kurosaki! Over here!" a voice called over the noise. Ichigo looked around and spotted Kyouraku Shunsui waiting by a side exit. He walked over and shook the older man's hand, accepting his congratulations. "Come on," he said, "let me buy you a drink. You look like you could use one."

Ichigo chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry, but there's somebody I've got to see."

"I'm sorry," Shunsui replied, "but I'm afraid I can't let you go see Kuchiki-san."

"Why not?" asked Ichigo, starting to get upset.

"Come on, I'll explain it to you."

* * *

As soon as the second bell rang, Rukia whirled around and touched Byakuya's arm. "Nii-sama!" she cried, "When did you know that it was going to be Ichigo? Before or after you chose me to represent our family?"

Byakuya fought hard to keep from cracking a smile at the eager tone in her voice. "The heads of the noble houses were informed immediately after the king passed away. I knew who was coming the entire time."

"Why did you choose me? You told me not more than two days ago that you were 'concerned' about how close Ichigo and I were!"

"Should not my sister's happiness concern me?" he asked, the gentle tone in his voice betraying his true emotions.

Rukia swallowed hard, moved by her brother's actions. "Thank you, nii-sama," she said, "I will not bring shame to our family."

"Do your best, Rukia," he said, turning to walk away before he lost his composure.

"_Damn right I will,"_ she thought.


	4. Many Meetings

_**Chapter 4: Many Meetings**_

Ichigo walked slowly through the Seireitei toward the 8th division's barracks, listening carefully while Kyouraku-taichou explained the selection process.

"It takes seven days to confirm a king," he drawled, "Today's the first day, so...let's see....we've already had your introduction ceremony...," he trailed off, trying to organize his thoughts. "Ah, right! The suitors will have a meeting with the royal retainer to be instructed about the rules of contact and determine the order in which they will present themselves to the king."

"So, what do I do today?"

"You get to spend today relaxing, because the next four days are going to be exhausting."

"Why is that?"

Kyouraku grinned at him and tilted his hat to look Ichigo in the eye. "Each of the four women gets to have you all to themselves for one day. One day to meet them, get to know them, and basically decide if you want to marry them," Shunsui answered, eyes dancing. "I wish I got that much action," he laughed, "but I can't even get Nanao-chan to pay attention to me!"

Ichigo's mind was reeling. _"One day at the mercy of Kuukaku or Yoruichi would be enough to scare even Zaraki Kenpachi," _he thought, _"and I don't even know anything about that other girl...Kasumi-Ouji...what was her name? Akira? Otome? I don't know. The one good thing is that I'll get to spend a whole day with Rukia..." _Ichigo sighed. _"The one person I wanted to see more than anything, and I can't even get close enough to talk to her!"_

"Ichigo!" Shunsui yelled, shaking him by his shoulders "Oi! Wake up!"

"Huh? What?" Ichigo said, coming back to himself.

"You still with me, Kurosaki? Thinking about what to do with those four lovely ladies, I take it?" He smiled knowingly, "Or maybe just one of those ladies, hmmm?"

Ichigo blushed and turned away, causing Kyouraku to chuckle softly. "N-no! Nothing like that! So, you said all this takes seven days. You've covered the first five. What happens after that?"

"Well, after all four have had their turn, you get a day to think about it and make your decision. Then the seventh day will be your wedding day."

The street in front of him faded as a vision of Rukia filled Ichigo's mind, causing his stomach to do flips. She was walking toward him in a perfect white gown, Byakuya on her arm to give her away, her violet eyes shining as she smiled at him. He heard a voice murmuring as he stood beside her, staring down into her face, then the voice stopped and he bent to kiss her, closing his eyes...inching slowly closer before his world came alive with sudden pain. He opened his eyes and found himself on the ground staring skyward at Kyouraku, who was rubbing his knuckles.

"That's the second time you've done that," he said.

"Done what?" Ichigo asked, trying to sit up.

"Spaced out like that. Your eyes were glazed and you didn't respond when I called your name. I almost called for Unohana, but thought it would be better to keep it quiet and handle it myself."

"Thanks," Ichigo smiled, rubbing his chin. "That was a pretty good hit."

"Besides," Shunsui grinned, "I doubt Rukia would like it very much if you ran over her captain."

Ichigo blinked as Ukitake Jyuushiro walked around from behind him and offered him a hand up. "I hear congratulations are in order, Kurosaki-san," the white-haired man said with a smile.

"I guess," Ichigo said, taking his hand and pulling himself off the ground.

Ukitake laughed and turned to Kyouraku. "You were right, Shun," he said, "he's in shock. He didn't even notice you ribbing him about Kuchiki-san." Ichigo replayed the past few minutes of conversation in his mind and could feel the color flooding his cheeks. Ukitake rested his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Relax! Come on, let's get something to drink and talk about something else."

Welcoming the opportunity to talk about something else, Ichigo fell in between the two and listened in attentive silence as they told old stories about hunting hollows and training under Yamamoto-soutaichou. _"Maybe if I focus on their stories I won't worry so much about Rukia,"_ he thought. _"I wonder what all this is like for her?"_

* * *

Rukia was pacing back and forth outside the first division's barracks, still dressed in her formal kimono. She'd spent the past two days sinking deeper and deeper into depression because she was going to have to leave Ichigo behind. Over the course of the past two hours, her fate had done a complete one-eighty, and so had her attitude. Though she was nervous about the process, she was also eager to have the opportunity to spend time with Ichigo again. A broad smile spread across her face as she thought through how she'd spend her day with him. She was so lost in thought that she never noticed Yoruichi and Kuukaku walking up behind her.

Kuukaku nudged Yoruichi and whispered something, and the two split up to flank the younger shinigami. "Well, it looks like somebody has their act together today," Yoruichi said , leaning in until she was only a couple of inches away from Rukia's face, "not that you're going to need it, Rukia."

Rukia turned to face the source of the voice and jumped, startled at Yoruichi's proximity. She backpedaled right into Kuukaku's waiting arm. "That's not true, Yoruichi," Kuukaku said in Rukia's ear, "after all, what if the boy picks one of us instead?"

Rukia jerked away and spun to face Kuukaku, her face crimson, fists raised into a fighting stance. "Sh-Shiba-san," she stammered, then turned back to face Yoruichi, "Yoruichi-san." She lowered her hands to smooth her kimono, thinking _"Why am I so angry?" _She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before answering herself,_ "Because Ichigo is __mine__. I love him, and that's something that none of the rest of these women can say."_

"Now, now, Kuukaku," Yoruichi said with a laugh, I'll tell you the same thing I told Kisuke before I left, 'we have as much chance against Kuchiki-san as a snowball would have against Yamamoto-soutaichou's Ryuujin Jakka'."

"If that is some vain attempt at humor, Shihouin-san, I am not impressed," said an unfamiliar voice behind them. The three women turned to see a golden-haired woman in a plain pink kimono tied with a black obi. "In fact, I think that if Kurosaki-sama were to hear about it he would be offended by the familiar way you speak of him."

It was all Yoruichi and Kuukaku could do to keep from bursting out in raucous laughter. Rukia put on her iciest Kuchiki glare and looked the newcomer from head to toe. "Kasumi-Ouji Akame-san," she said, bowing her head a tiny fraction, "while I agree with you that it is not terribly amusing, you do not understand the history that the three of us share with Kurosaki Ichigo."

"I am aware of it, "she said, cutting Rukia off. "Not only am I aware of your history with him, but I also know how to overcome it in order to bring glory to the Kasumi-Ouji family, and furthermore..."

"Akame-dono," said a man's voice from beside her, interrupting her rant.

"Kenryuu-san!" cried Rukia.

"Ah, Kuchiki-sama," he replied, bowing, "how nice to see you again. I trust you have been well?"

"I have. How is Lurichiyo adapting to life as the head of her family?"

"Quite well," he said with a smile, "better than we had hoped, actually."

Akame cleared her throat, causing Rukia and Kenryuu to look at her strangely for interrupting them. "Kenzaki-san, why do you so freely discuss our family's business with this...outsider," she said, spitting the last word as though it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"A part of the history Kuchiki-sama shares with Kurosaki Ichigo is that they lent aid to Lurichiyo-sama when the time came for her to become the head of the Kasumi-Ouji family. They defended her when she took refuge in the living world and helped her to...excuse me," he trailed off and pointed at the door leading into the barracks. There they saw Amekaeru, motioning for the women to come in. "I take my leave, Kuchiki-sama, Akame-dono," he said bowing deeply.

The four suitors began walking toward the door, and soon they were standing in the first division's great assembly hall, two of them whispering and laughing about the fun they were going to have while the other two were silent, serious, and very nervous about what was to come.

Amekaeru cleared her throat and began to speak, "You are not to have any direct contact with Kurosaki Ichigo for the next six days. He may not come to your residence at all during that time, nor can you visit him at his temporary quarters with the 8th division. The only exception to these rules would be during the day you are selected to spend with him. Kyouraku-taichou has graciously agreed to help keep him from going to you, also," she said, looking directly at Rukia. "You will have the remainder of today to plan out how you will spend your alloted day with Kurosaki Ichigo. Starting first thing tomorrow, each of you will have one day alone with him to do as you please, within reason. Do not force him to undertake something that poses a risk to life and limb. Anything of that nature he does must be of his own free will. Do you understand and agree to abide by these rules?"

"I do," the four women chorused.

"Excellent," Amekaeru said, pulling a small silk bag from her obi. "In this bag are four stones, each with a number. The number you withdraw from the bag will the day you will spend with Ichigo-dono. Kasumi-Ouji-san, you may draw first."

Extending her hand, she stirred her way through the bag as though she was attempting to read the numbers by feel. Suddenly, she pulled back her hand and opened it to reveal a completely smooth stone. She turned it over in her hand to reveal the number "3" set below the surface.

"Now you, Shiba-san."

Kuukaku simply grabbed the first stone her hand could close upon. "I drew '2'," she said, holding the stone up for all to see.

"Kuchiki-san," Amekaeru said, "please draw a stone from the bag."

Rukia knew that there were only two positions left: first and last. She sincerely hoped she wouldn't have to go last. _"All the pressure of having to live up to the other three women...,"_ she thought as she closed her hand on a stone and slowly drew it out of the bag. Closing her eyes, she opened her hand to hear Amekaeru say "Four. So that makes Shihouin-san our first suitor, followed by Shiba-san, Kasumi-Ouji-san, and Kuchiki-san. I will inform Ichigo-dono of your drawing order and leave you to your planning." She bowed deeply and left the room. As soon as she was gone, all four women moved quickly to start planning out the time they would spend with him.

* * *

"...so I said, 'Lisa-chan! Please don't do that again! I've been walking funny all week!" Kyouraku finished his story with a flourish and took another sip of his sake while Ichigo and Ukitake laughed until they were out of breath.

"Ohhh," Ichigo sighed as he took a sip, despite already being on his eleventh cup of tea. "That was funny, Kyouraku-san! I can totally see Lisa being that way."

"Shun! Tell him the story about the ryoka," Ukitake said. "The one you told me when we were talking about..."

"Oh, right! The one about Sado Yasutora!"

Ichigo's eyes opened wide. He'd heard of Chad's encounter with Kyouraku Shunsui from his friend after they had returned from Soul Society together, but he'd never thought about the other side of the story. "Yeah," he said quietly, "tell me the story about your fight with Chad."

Shunsui closed his eyes, gathered his memories and said, "It's not so much a story about the fight, as much as about the conversation I had with him before the fighting started. First I tried to get him to just sit down and have a drink with me to pass the time so I wouldn't have to hurt him. He refused on principle, of course, saying that he was underage. I could understand that, since I was familiar with the alcohol laws in the world of the living."

"I wonder why," snarked Ichigo, but Shunsui was getting into the story and ignored the jab.

"So, since I couldn't get him to sit and pass the time with me over a cup of sake, I tried to convince him that Kuchiki-san wasn't worth enough to him for him to risk his life. I mean, he'd only known her for a couple of months. How do you risk your life for a 'friend' you've only had for that long? But do you know what he said to me, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo shook his head. Chad hadn't ever told him this part of the story, only about the fight itself.

"Sado-kun said to me, 'I may not know her enough to give up my life to save her. However, Ichigo wants to save her. Ichigo went all out for her, and that's enough. That's all the reason I need to put my life on the line for anything.' Your friend was willing to lay his life on the line for her because you were. Pretty amazing stuff if you ask me."

Ichigo sat back, smirking. "_That sounds exactly like something Chad would say,"_ he thought. "I owed her a debt," Ichigo said just loud enough for the two captains to hear over the din of the bar they were sitting in. "At the time, I thought that was all it was, anyway..."

Shunsui lifted his sake to his lips but didn't drink, instead closing his eyes in thought. _"Perhaps I was only half right when I said that to Sado-kun, Kurosaki. I thought the time was too short, that your friendship wasn't deep enough for you to risk your life for her, but calling you 'friends' wasn't entirely accurate, though that may have been what you called each other."_ He drank deeply and set his saucer down. "So, why did you come here after her, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo thought about how best to answer that question without launching into a lengthy explanation that Kyouraku wouldn't remember later anyway. After a few minutes, he finally spoke, "She changed my life."

* * *

"Welcome back, Akame-dono!" the doorwards greeted her as they opened the gate to the Kasumi-Ouji manor. She marched past them without a word, jaw set in frustration. She stomped through the corridors until she reached the door to the chambers belonging to the head of her family, Kasumi-Ouji Lurichiyo. She dismissed the guards with a withering stare and walked in.

"Akame," Lurichiyo said calmly from her place on the dais, "We heard you coming from the time you entered the manor. Sit down."

"Yes, Lurichiyo-sama," she answered, her face burning with shame.

"Did you get to see him? Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"Yes, Lurichiyo-sama."

"What did you think of him?"

"I think that any woman would be lucky to have him. He is strong, honorable, and carries himself well despite being raised in the world of the living."

Lurichiyo nodded her agreement and continued her questioning, "Do you know why we chose you to be the Kasumi-Ouji family's suitor, Akame?"

"No, Lurichiyo-sama."

"We chose you because you are an excellent example of a strong woman who maintains her independence while exhibiting the refinement and dignity that generations of ladies born to the Kasumi-Ouji family have been known for."

"Th-thank you. But Lurichiyo-sama, I am concerned that there may be some...problems...from one of the other suitors."

"Problems?" Lurichiyo asked her cousin, her brow furrowing with concern. "What kind of problems?"

"The others are already so familiar with Kurosaki-sama," she said, sounding distressed. "How am I supposed to compete with that?"

"Don't worry so much about winning in matters of love. We would think that it would be far too complex to try to force someone to love you, let alone a strong-willed man like Kurosaki Ichigo. Just represent the family well and show Ichigo a good time."

"How do you suggest I 'show him a good time', Lurichiyo-sama?"

"He is very much a person of the living world. You could research the things that he enjoyed doing there and try to simulate them here in Soul Society"

Akame thought about that for a minute. Then she remembered that Lurichiyo, Enryuu, and Kenryuu had spent quite a bit of time with Ichigo and that insolent Kuchiki Rukia in the living world. She decided to press the issue gently to see what she could found out. "Lurichiyo-sama, Kenzaki-san said that one of the other suitors, Kuchiki Rukia, assisted Kurosaki-sama in protecting you when you were in hiding in the living world. Could you tell me what her relationship is to him?"

Lurichiyo sat back and thought for a moment before answering, "Their relationship always seemed very odd. While Rukia is as strong and independent as any Kasumi-Ouji woman, she was never ladylike at all in the way she interacted with him. While they seemed to get along well enough, I can't recall a single day when they didn't bicker, antagonize, or even kick or punch the other during some sort of argument. The best way I can describe their relationship would be to say that it is...unique."

"_It is as I thought: Kuchiki is not ladylike at all! By acting like the dignified noble I am, pouring on the charm, and simulating the living world here in Soul Society I will have quite the advantage,"_ Akame thought smugly, _"especially since her time with him comes after mine. Despite the fact that I cannot have any direct contact with Kurosaki-sama during his time with Kuchiki Rukia, I am sure that I could add some touches of my own to their day together. It should be possible to achieve victory in this contest without doing something that would completely shame the family. After all," _she thought as a smile spread slowly across her face, _"Amekaeru-san did not say anything about interference, just contact."_

Finally, Akame stood and bowed. "Lurichiyo-sama, thank you for the advice and for the confidence that you have placed in me to represent our family well in this matter. I will bring victory to the Kasumi-Ouji!"

Catching the mischievous grin on Akame's face, Lurichiyo sighed. "Remember what we said, Akame: don't worry so much about winning as about showing Kurosaki-sama a good time," she called as Akame turned and walked out.

* * *

"Nee-sama?" Ganju called, opening the door to her chamber, seeing her sprawled on the floor with Yoruichi, making some kind of drawing on a large piece of paper. As he walked closer, he could overhear snippets of their conversation:

"And then we could...," said Yoruichi loudly

"No, no, no!" Kuukaku hissed back, "no forcible risk to life or limb, remember?"

"Oh. You're no fun You're right of course, but still no fun. Well...what about...," she wrote another option on the paper.

"YES! That would work! What is it, Ganju?"

"You asked me to let you know when the sun started to set? Something about having to have your plans finished?"

"Awww, already?" whined Yoruichi, "But we don't have enough stuff to fill two days!"

"Thank you, Ganju," Kuukaku said, "and don't worry, Yoruichi. I've got an ace in the hole." She bent over and drew what looked like a child's version of the setting sun: a semi-circle outlined with spikes.

"Ohhh, Kuukaku," Yoruichi gasped, "you're bad. Do you think he'll understand the rules well enough to help, though?"

"Oh, I can make him understand," she grinned. "This is going to be GREAT!"

* * *

Rukia sat in her chambers with her sketchbook open to a random blank page, thinking carefully about the things that she and Ichigo liked to do in Karakura. _"What could we do together in that short amount of time?" _Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she began writing: 'Shopping (Chappy!), lunch (food court fare), catch a movie, NEED TO TALK, dinner' She let her pencil fall from her hand when she noticed she'd been tracing the last item over and over again and stared at what she had written. _"What should we do about dinner? Nothing fancy...this __is__ Ichigo. He'd be happy with just a plate of curry." _She laughed at that thought and picked up her pencil to scribble 'maybe take out?' next to 'dinner' and one last item: 'RELAX (walk in the park?)'. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. _"Will this really be enough?" she thought, "Ichigo and I never really did this kind of stuff before. We were always able to enjoy each other's company just by being in the same room together, even if neither of us was talking. I wonder how __he's__ taking all of this?"_. She jumped as she heard a knock on the door, and turned to see Byakuya standing there.

"Nii-sama!"

"Rukia," he said calmly, "it's time. Have you finished your planning?"

"Yes, nii-sama, but I have a request."

"What is it?"

"I wish to spend my time with Ichigo in Karakura."

"To do that, you would require the use our family's private senkai gate, correct?"

Rukia bowed her head, "Yes, nii-sama."

Byakuya closed his eyes and sighed. "You have my permission to use any of the Kuchiki family's resources you deem necessary."

"Thank you, nii-sama!" Rukia cried, racing past him out the door to turn her plans in to Amekaeru.

Hearing her footsteps fade into the distance, Byakuya allowed himself a tiny smile. "Good luck, Rukia."


	5. Catch Me If You Can

_**Chapter 5: Catch Me If You Can**_

Amekaeru walked into the 8th division's barracks to find Ichigo curled up under a blanket on a random cot. _"Guess I have my work cut out for me,"_ she thought with a sigh as she reached out and shook his foot. "Ichigo-dono," she said.

Ichigo groaned and threw his arm across his eyes.

"Honestly, you are just like your father was at your age. You need to get up, Ichigo-dono. It has been arranged that you should meet your first suitor today."

Ichigo grunted and sat up in the bed, blinking at the bright light streaming in through the windows. _"How in the world does Kyouraku-taichou sleep with all this light?"_ he thought. He swung his legs off the side of the cot and scratched his head. "What time is it?"

"It is 8 o'clock in the morning. I have arranged for you to meet Shihouin Yoruichi-sama outside the 2nd division's headquarters in one hour."

Ichigo nodded as he stood up, barely comprehending what she had just said. "Wait," he said suddenly, "who did you say?"

"Shihouin Yoruichi-san," Amekaeru said as she folded the blanket and put it at the end of the cot.

Ichigo groaned and rubbed his eyes. "She would have to be up first."

"Is there something unsatisfactory about having her as a suitor, Ichigo-dono? The Shihouin has been a powerful family for hundreds of years, and I'm sure she would make a worthy addition to the bloodline of the kings."

"It's not that," Ichigo said, fumbling for the right words, "it's just that Yoruichi and I have...history."

"Ichigo-dono, you do not have to share this with me if you do not want to, but what kind of history?"

"Yoruichi was one of the people who assisted me with my training. I achieved bankai in less than three days thanks to her."

Amekaeru nodded. This much was common knowledge. "Is there something else?"

"Not really. It's just that **I** know I don't have any kind of romantic feelings for her, and it doesn't feel right to lead her on."

Amekaeru smiled at him knowingly, causing him to scowl at her. "What? What do you know that I don't know?"

"I am privy to the plans your suitors have made regarding you and the order in which they will be allowed to spend time with you. Unfortunately I am not at liberty to reveal those to you. However, speaking more generally, I am sure there are many things I know that you do not."

Ichigo's scowl deepened for a second then broke into a smile. "You're probably right," he said simply. "In front of the 2nd division's headquarters at 9 o'clock, then?"

"Yes."

Ichigo spent the next hour washing up and getting himself ready for the day ahead. At 8:45 he was standing outside the 8th division, Zangetsu firmly strapped to his back. _"No way I'm going into a situation Yoruichi thought up without my zanpakuto,"_ he thought, using shunpo to make sure he would make it to the 2nd division on time.

With 5 minutes left to go, his feet touched stone outside the 2nd division complex. He looked around for Yoruichi and sighed. "Now she's going to leave me hanging. Great." He sat down on a bench to wait. 9 o'clock came and went, and still he sat. He nearly jumped up in surprise at a strange sensation winding around his ankles. He looked down to see a black cat rubbing up against him. Absently, he reached down and stroked the cat's head, causing it to purr loudly. "Dammit, Yoruichi," he huffed, "where are you?"

"Right here," he heard a deep voice respond.

His hand stopped moving on the cat as he slowly looked down to see it looking up at him. "Yo-Yoruichi-san?!" he stammered , pulling his hand back. The cat lifted its right paw from the stone and set it into his hand and winked.

"In the fur. How are you holding out?"

Ichigo thought about that for a minute, and finally shrugged. "As well as can be expected, I guess. This is all still a pretty big shock to me."

Yoruichi nodded. "Are you ready for a break?"

"A break?" Ichigo asked, unable to believe what he'd heard, "Hell, yes I could use a break!"

Yoruichi dove up and clawed her way up his shihakusho amid his cries of protest to loose the baldric that bound Zangetsu to his back, causing it to clatter to the ground. "What the hell are you doing!" He spun to pick his zanpakuto up from the ground. When he turned to face Yoruichi again, she held the baldric in her teeth. "Give that back."

"You want it?" Yoruichi taunted, her eyes glinting in the sun. "Come get it!"

Ichigo stepped toward her and stooped to pull the baldric from her mouth when he noticed she wasn't there anymore, but was standing just inside the gate of the 2nd division looking at him with feigned innocence.

"Shunpo!" he mumbled, "I should have remembered." A smirk drew up the corner of his mouth and he lifted his voice, "So, Yoruichi-san, it's going to be like that, is it? A game of tag?"

Yoruichi silently nodded her head.

"Fine," Ichigo said, using shunpo to appear next to her, "then that's how it'll be."

Ichigo chased Yoruichi around the 2nd division's compound for over an hour before she took off out the gate and down the street. Still clutching Zangetsu, he sped out the gate. He managed to follow her all the way to a square on the other side of the Seireitei before totally losing sight of her. "The Goddess of Flash, huh?" he sighed, "I thought I had gotten so much faster since the last time we trained together." He stood in the center of the square, scanning rooftops and alleys for any sign of his "date". He leaned his zanpakuto against his shoulder and took a deep breath, calling forth reiraku to try to track her down. "She should be easy to find," he said as he began sifting through the hundreds of red spirit ribbons. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed hold of one of them as the others dissipated. "Gotcha!" he cried as he took off running, hot on her trail.

* * *

"Ken-chan!" Yachiru called urgently as she ran along the rooftop, "Ken-chan, guess what? I just saw Ichi!"

"Kurosaki?" the large shinigami asked.

"Uh huh! He was carrying his zanpakuto and running through the square on the east side of our barracks!"

"Carrying his zanpakuto? Reeeaallly," Kenpachi leered. "Do you think he's looking for me? I've been wanting to fight him again since he got those crazy hollow powers. I'll bet it'd be even more fun than before." The memory of their previous fight had his blood pumping and his eyes were starting to glaze over a little, making him look like a bloodthirsty animal ready to attack the first thing that moved.

"I don't know, but if you want to catch up to him you'd better hurry!"

Zaraki Kenpachi grinned and stood up, stretching his back. "Which way was he going?"

"That way!" his fuku-taichou said, pointing in the direction Ichigo had come from, rather than the direction he had gone.

"Let's go, Yachiru."

* * *

Ichigo could sense that Yoruichi's reiatsu had stopped moving. _"How long have I been chasing her? One hour? Two? Half a day? She actually got so far ahead that she had to stop to wait for me!"_ Ichigo thought, disgusted with himself for not being able to at least keep up with her. He looked around and started to recognize his surroundings. _"Hey, this is pretty close to the cavern where I achieved bankai for the first time,"_ he thought, taking a moment to remember that day. _"I couldn't have done it without Yoruichi. I couldn't have saved Rukia without her helping me to get stronger. Hell, I couldn't have even penetrated Seireitei without __Yoruichi and Kuukaku. I owe them a lot more than I'll ever be able to repay."_ He could see a flicker of red from the corner of his eye and and shunpoed over to find Yoruichi, still holding the red baldric in her mouth, waiting outside the entrance to the cavern.

She sauntered over to him and dropped the baldric into his outstretched hand. "You're better at this than Byakuya, but still not good enough, Ichigo," she said with a laugh.

"What was the point of all that!" Ichigo yelled, finally close enough to express his annoyance.

"Point? There was no point, except to mess with you. We'll start again after lunch."

"Stupid woman. Cat. Whatever the hell you are," Ichigo grumbled, absently playing with the baldric. A thought suddenly occurred to him: "Wait, you said something about lunch?"

Yoruichi laughed, a harsh masculine sound that grated on Ichigo's nerves. "Yeah, I've got something prepared here if you're hungry," she said as she walked into the cavern.

Ichigo's stomach growled in response, and he followed her inside. Just before he stepped into the cave, he felt a flash of a familiar, heavy reiatsu. "Kenpachi?" he whispered, turning to look back into the clearing.

"Ichigo! Are you coming?" he heard Yoruichi call from farther up the path.

"Yeah!" he replied, shrugging his shoulders and following her once again.

* * *

Yachiru and Kenpachi stepped into the clearing and looked around, unable to see anyone, let alone the orange-haired shinigami they were hunting. "I've lost him again, Ken-chan!" Yachiru cried, getting frustrated, "And I could have sworn he was right here!"

"You've lost me three times already," he groused.

"Oh, Ken-chan," Yachiru said, squeezing his shoulder playfully, "that's because you have no sense of direction!"

"I thought that's why I was following your directions!"

"That's right! That's what you should do from now on!"

Kenpachi growled deep in his throat, barely keeping a lid on his simmering temper. "So...where is he?"

"I don't know, Ken-chan. I was following his reiatsu but then it just...disappeared!"

Kenpachi turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye, "Is he...dead?"

"I don't think so," Yachiru answered. "It's just that one minute he was here and the next...poof!"

"Good," the big man grinned wolfishly, "then I still get the pleasure of killing him myself. Let's wait here and see if he shows up."

"Okay," Yachiru pouted, "if you say so."

Zaraki Kenpachi sat down on the ground and closed his eyes, resting for what he knew would be an exciting chase and battle ahead.

* * *

Yoruichi, too, had felt Kenpachi closing in and had chosen that particular moment to lead Ichigo down into the cavern and out of sight. _"Not yet,"_ she thought to herself. Finally, they came to the wide open area where she had trained him what seemed like ages ago. She padded over to a cloth that had been laid down with a few containers of food on it. "Here we are," she said.

"Great!" Ichigo said, excitedly, "I'm starving!"

They sat down and Ichigo opened the containers in the order she indicated. The first one was full of plain crackers. "Those are for you," Yoruichi said as she set her paw on another container, "open this one next." Ichigo did as he was instructed and found that it was full of tuna salad. "Now open the last one," she said. Ichigo did and was rewarded with two small containers of a white liquid.

"Tuna and milk," Yoruichi said as Ichigo arranged some of the tuna on a plate in front of her. "Good for strength and stamina. Both important for a man about to be married," she teased, laughing at the color spreading across Ichigo's cheeks.

Ichigo sat down and spread some of the tuna on a cracker and took a bite. Though not on his list of favorite foods, it was at least edible, and he dared not pass it up. As crazy as today was turning out to be, there was no way he was going to walk out of here hungry. Her next bit of "fun" at his expense might turn out to be a sudden duel or another exhausting game of flash tag. He shook his head ruefully and finished the cracker with another bite, quickly readying another one. _"This is going to be a long day," _he thought.

After they had eaten, Ichigo lay back and stared at the ceiling. _"I've got to let her know where she stands,"_ he thought, _"and the earlier the better."_ He took a deep breath and blew it out. "Yoruichi-san," he began.

"What?" she said, walking over to stand by his head.

"Well, I...," he sighed, "It's just that I don't...."

Yoruichi batted his cheek with a velveted paw. "Shut up, Ichigo," she said. "I know good and well you don't think of me as a potential wife. Why do you think I chose myself to represent the Shihouin?"

Ichigo was dumbfounded, and just a little disappointed. Finding his tongue again, he sat up and looked down at her. "I don't know," he replied, "why?"

"Because **I** know you well enough to know that there's somebody else you've had your eye on. I just wanted to give you a little hell and let you have a break from the serious business you're in the middle of. Speaking of...," she said, picking up the baldric from his zanpakuto and darting toward the cavern's entrance, "break's over!"

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled, jumping up. "Dammit, Yoruichi, once was enough!" He started to chase after her only to nearly run past her when they got outside. He felt a spike of reiatsu right beside him and looked over to see Zaraki Kenpachi rising from the grass.

"Hey, Ichi!" Yachiru called as she jumped from her perch on his back.

"Kurosaki Ichigo!" Kenpachi yelled, a massive smile forming on his face. "So it's true! You are running around the Seireitei with an unsealed zanpakuto!"

"My zanpakuto doesn't have a sealed form, as you know very well. It's always unsealed. I wouldn't have been carrying it around like this anyway but **somebody**," he said with a glare at Yoruichi who stood nearby, still holding the baldric in her mouth, "arranged it so I couldn't carry it on my back today."

"Still, you have been running around waving it, and that can only mean one thing:" Kenpachi said, lifting his own zanpakuto, "you were looking for a rematch."

"Actually, uh, Kenpachi, I'm kinda in the middle of something," he said with a nod toward Yoruichi.

"Huh? With the cat? If you live, you and the cat can do whatever makes you happy. Now, are you prepared to die?" Kenpachi growled, tugging at the corner of his eye patch.

"It looks like Zaraki-san wants to join our little game of tag, Ichigo," Yoruichi called.

"Yeah, right," Ichigo replied, "he's not chasing after you."

"Well, then, I'll just be on my way," she said, running deeper into the woods..

"Wait!" Ichigo cried, using shunpo to speed past Kenpachi. He tried hard to keep Yoruichi in sight as he dodged in and out of the trees, trying his best not to get Zangetsu hung up on a branch. _"Whew,"_he thought, _"that was pretty close."_

* * *

"Aw, too bad, Ken-chan," Yachiru said, "guess you'll have to fight Ichi another time."

"No," Kenpachi said, licking his lips. "He wants to fight me, I'm sure of it. Help me find him!"

"Suit yourself!"

Yachiru jumped back onto Kenpachi's back. "Which way?" he asked her, looking around for some trace of his favorite opponent.

"Uhhh, that way!" she cried, pointing back toward town.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive!"

Kenpachi rolled his eyes, but followed her directions, heading back in the direction they'd come.

* * *

Yoruichi changed direction several times, finally coming to a halt just behind the 13th division's headquarters building. "Ichigo!" she called, and a half-second later he appeared in front of her. "Good, you're still alive," she said to the panting wreck of a man that stood before her.

"Of course I'm alive! That maniac couldn't sense my reiatsu if I was right in front of him. There's no way he could have followed us!"

Yoruichi laughed, and sat down. "You know, Ichigo, this is so much more fun than what I told Amekaeru-san we'd be doing today."

"You mean you had to tell her what your plans were?"

"Absolutely. Do you really think that they're going to let four women just run around wild with the heir to the throne? Each of us had to give detailed itineraries to her last night before dark."

Ichigo rubbed his eyes. _"Is this what I'm in for? Having to explain my every move to somebody? Not having the freedom to do what I want to do?"_ He sighed. "So, what did you tell her you were going to do with me today?"

"Oh, let's see," she said, doing her best to sound seductive, but only coming off as creepy due to her feline form's deep voice, "a romantic walk in the forest, a quiet lunch, some time to talk and get to know one another, oh! And my favorite part: walking along the river at sunset!" She faked an infatuated sigh, then broke out in laughter. "See! This is so much better, isn't it?"

Ichigo shook his head and grinned in spite of himself. "Yeah, I guess..."

The pair suddenly heard sound that caused their blood to freeze in their veins. From across the 13th division's compound, they heard Yachiru shout "Ken-chan! I see Ichi!"

"Shit!" Ichigo said, his eyes darting from rooftop to street in an effort to find the zanpakuto-wielding madman before he was attacked. "Now what?"

"Well, since I promised Amekaeru-san that I wouldn't get you killed...we run," she replied, disappearing from sight.

Ichigo rolled his eyes heavenward and took off after her, barely a second before Kenpachi plowed through a wall brandishing his zanpakuto and Yachiru jumped down from the roof to land on his back. "Where is he?"

"He went that way!" Yachiru said excitedly.

Reluctantly, Kenpachi turned in the direction she pointed and took off running again.

* * *

After running in circles for an hour and a half, they stopped again in front of the 6th division headquarters. "Oi, Ichigo!" he heard a voice say.

"Renji!" he turned to face his red-haired friend, lowering the point of his zanpakuto.

"Your 'date' going that badly?" he asked snidely, gesturing at Zangetsu.

Ichigo grabbed Renji's shoulder with his free hand and looked him straight in the eye, "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Why is that?" Renji said, knocking Ichigo's hand off.

"KEN-CHAN! He's over here, talking to Pineapple-Head!"

"Oh, shit!" Ichigo cried, seeing Yoruichi shunpo away. "I'll tell you later, Renji!"

"Oi, Yachiru! Who are you calling "pineapple head?" Renji yelled as Ichigo chased after Yoruichi.

"Ichi is Ichi and pineapple-head is pineapple-head," she said as Kenpachi rounded the corner behind her and scooped her up.

"Abarai," Kenpachi grunted, "where is Kurosaki?"

Renji swallowed hard in the oppressive presence of the 11th division's captain.

"H-he went that way, Zaraki-taichou," Renji said, pointing after his friend. _"Good luck, Ichigo. I'm not going to lie to Zaraki Kenpachi, and you can handle yourself against him."_

"Why are you lying, pineapple-head?" Yachiru shouted. "Ken-chan, he went that way!"

"Are you sure?" Kenpachi asked Renji.

Seeing his opportunity, Renji replied, "To tell the truth, they both shunpoed out of here so fast I couldn't tell which way they went. It looked to me like they went that way....but I could be wrong."

"That way, Ken-chan, that way!" Yachiru insisted, pulling the collar of his haori.

"Fine, Yachiru. Let's go."

Two hours later, Zaraki Kenpachi stared at his twentieth dead end. "Yachiru, this is the last time I'm trusting your directions," he complained.

"Zaraki Kenpachi?", said an unfamiliar voice behind him.

"What?" he answered, turning to see who had managed to sneak up on him. "Who are you?"

"Shiba Kuukaku, I'm a friend of Kurosaki Ichigo's."

"Do you know where he is?" Kenpachi asked eagerly, his nostrils flaring like a beast that has smelled blood.

"No, no. But I know where you can find him tomorrow," she said with a smile.

"Where? Tell me now!"

"Calm down, Zaraki-san. Do you even know who it is you're trying to fight?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo, dumbass. You said you knew him. Punk kid, former ryoka. Handed my ass to me one time when he was here to save that...what's her name. Anyway, where can I find him?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo is the descendant of the king. He literally has more reiatsu in his little finger than you have in your entire body." Kuukaku said calmly

Kenpachi drew in a breath, his eyes widening. "Really? He's that strong? I can't wait to fight him again!"

"Quite the one track mind, hmm? Here's what I'll do: I'll let you find Kurosaki tomorrow afternoon and you can fight him on one condition: you are not allowed to kill him, even if you win."

"Not allowed to kill? What kind of fight is that?"

"The kind that guarantees you get to fight him at least once a year."

Zaraki paused to consider this for a minute. Yachiru stared at him, a look of confusion and concern on her face. "Ken-chan?" she said quietly.

"Deal," Kenpachi said, sticking out a hand. "Once a year, you say?"

"At least," Kuukaku smiled.

"Excellent," he replied with a feral grin.

"Yay! One-arm made Ken-chan happy again! He gets to fight Ichi!"

"One-arm?!" Kuukaku bristled at the nickname she'd been given.

"Come on, Yachiru," Kenpachi said, "let's go home."

* * *

As the sun was setting, Ichigo stood by the river panting for breath. "God, this has been a messed up day," he said as he sat down hard on the grass.

"What do you mean?" Yoruichi asked.

"Well, starting with your little game of tag, then Kenpachi getting crazier than usual wanting to fight me to the death, I've also had to deal with you in your cat form sounding like a guy all day!"

"Oh, is that what's bothering you? So you would have preferred me to be..." she trailed off, walking out in front of him, her feline features expanding, body lengthening and rising to stand on two legs, fur receding in some places while long hair grew from her head. Soon a lithe, dark-skinned woman stood before him, one hand on her hip, completely naked. "In the flesh, then?"

"Yo-Yoruichi-san!" he yelled, covering his eyes with his hand. "Dammit! Haven't I told you before about having clothes on when you're in your human form?!"

"Ichigo, give me your hand," she purred, "I've got something for you."

"No. No, no, no." he said, shaking his head in protest as she knelt beside him and took his free hand. "Yoruichi, you can't! This isn't right!" She pried open his fingers and put something into his hand, closing his fingers around it. Then she laughed, rocking back away from him and cackling like she was being tickled to death. He heard her voice changing and finally opened his eyes to see her feline body writhing and rolling on the ground.

"Wh-what did you think I was trying to do, Ichigo?" she gasped, panting for breath from laughing so hard, "Take advantage of you!?"

His face turned three shades of red as he looked away from her, noticing for the first time that his closed fist now held Zangetsu's baldric. "N-no," he stammered, "I never thought that!"

Yoruichi chuckled at this obvious lie as she sat down next to him. "Seriously, though, Ichigo, I think I've had enough fun for one day."

"Thanks for today, Yoruichi-san," he said politely. "I felt like I'd been on the run non-stop since I found out who I was and what was going on. It's been nice to have a break."

"Anytime," she said, "with your wife's permission of course."

Ichigo thought of Rukia, and he flushed crimson again.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to let you get back. I can't tell you who you will have with you tomorrow," she said, "but I will say that your suitor will have much more fun with you than I did. Good luck, Ichigo!" She inclined her head toward him slightly and shunpoed away, leaving him sitting by himself to watch the sun set. He fastened Zangetsu onto his back and began the long walk back to the 8th division.

He walked past Shunsui's office shaking his head. "Kurosaki-san?" the elder shinigami called, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Kyouraku-taichou. Sorry, I didn't see you there. It's just been a wild day," he said with a sigh.

Shunsui laughed and poured him some sake. "Here. This will help."

Ichigo looked at the cup suspiciously but finally took it and got a sip. The alcohol burned as it ran down his throat and hit his empty stomach, causing it to growl in protest.

"Oho!" Shunsui laughed, "I guess we should try to find you something to eat. Nanao-chan!"

"Yes, taichou?" she said, appearing from out of nowhere.

"Could you do me a favor and round up something for Kurosaki-kun here to eat? It seems that his suitor abandoned him before dinner today."

Fighting the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth, Nanao nodded and disappeared from the room. _"As many Kurosaki fans as we have, the Shinigami Women's Association is going to __love__ these stories," _she thought to herself as she ran out the front gate.

"So, Kurosaki-san, sit down and tell Shun-nii what's troubling you."

Ichigo looked at the man oddly for his choice of words but sat anyway, launching into a retelling of the days events. As he reached the end of the day, he began telling about naked Yoruichi and noticed Shunsui sitting very still and paying close attention.

"Whew," he finally said, "that's some luck there. I know a dozen shinigami that would have paid to have been in your shoes today."

"Why?!" Ichigo lamented, pushing back the now empty plate of food Nanao had brought him. "It was hell on earth! Chasing after that stupid woman, eating tuna! Having to dodge Kenpachi!"

Shunsui just laughed and waved Ichigo's comments off. "Not that part, the part where Yoruichi was naked."

Ichigo blushed and took another drink of the sake. "Thanks."

"Oh, don't thank me. She was probably right, too. About tomorrow, I mean."

"What are you talking about?"

"Amekaeru sent word that I should inform you that tomorrow's suitor will be Shiba Kuukaku. She will pick you up at the front gate at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Shiba.....Kuukaku?!" Ichigo said in disbelief as he played back Yoruichi's words in his mind: _"Your suitor will have much more fun with you than I did. Good luck, Ichigo!" _Ichigo groaned and closed his eyes.

"Well, as much fun as this has been," Shunsui said, "I think you should get to bed, and I should get another bottle of sake. Tomorrow's going to be a long day for both of us."

"Thanks, Kyouraku-taichou," Ichigo said, "for listening...and for the sake."

"Any time."


	6. A Deal with the Devil

_**Chapter 6: A Deal with the Devil**_

"Ichigo-dono," called Amekaeru as she walked into his temporary quarters, "it's time to get...," she trailed off. _"He's gone?"_

"Good morning, Amekaeru-san," said a voice behind her.

"Kyouraku-taichou! Where is Kurosaki Ichigo-dono?"

"Ichigo got up and left early this morning. He told me to tell you he would be back in time to meet Kuukaku-san."

Amekaeru's brow furrowed with concern. _"What business could he have that would require him to get up and leave so early in the day?"_

* * *

Ichigo stood atop the hill under the broken Soukyouku, staring out across the Seireitei at the rising sun. The damaged execution stand above him had been allowed to remain as a monument to the treachery of Aizen Sousuke so that all of Soul Society would remember and history would never be allowed to repeat itself. Ichigo leaned back and looked up, the broken halves framing the sky. _"Even if I live forever, I'll never forget that day. Has it really been three years?"_

"I thought I might find you here," said a quiet voice behind him. Ichigo turned to see Ukitake Jyuushiro walking up behind him.

"Ukitake-taichou!" he gasped.

"Three years today. The things you did that day are the stuff of legend, and if you hadn't done them, Aizen would never have been exposed so blatantly, and it would be him, not you, taking the throne."

Ichigo looked at his feet, shuffling on the spot, still uncomfortable with his celebrity in Soul Society. "I didn't do it to be a legend. I did it to save a precious person. The one who changed my life."

"I know. She talked to me about it after you and your friends went back to Karakura." Ichigo's head snapped up and he met the older man's eyes. "You really don't know, do you? How much you mean to Rukia?" Ichigo shook his head slightly, unable to find a voice. "You are a special person to her, too, Ichigo. I'm sure she'll tell you herself, when the time is right."

Ichigo looked up at the broken Soukyouku again then back down at Ukitake. "I didn't do any of it alone," he said, extending a hand to the captain. "and I couldn't have done it without the help you and Kyouraku-san gave me that day."

Ukitake shrugged and shook Ichigo's hand. "Why did you come here today, Kurosaki-san?"

"To remember. This time last year, my friends and I took her out to a nice restaurant. We made it a special day for her, because none of us remained unchanged after meeting her. We all owe her so much. This year, I can't do anything for her because of the stupid rules of contact, so I came here. I guess I thought it'd help me feel closer to her."

"I see," Jyuushiro nodded his understanding. "I plan to visit Rukia later today. Is there anything you want me to tell her?"

Ichigo stood silent for a minute, then spoke, "Tell her I said 'happy anniversary'."

"Is that all?"

Ichigo hesitated, his mouth opening and closing several times before he closed his mouth and nodded.

Ukitake smiled and said, "Very well. Don't you have someplace you need to be?"

Ichigo looked at his watch. Nine o'clock. An hour to make his way back to the 8th division. "Yeah," he said as he started to walk down the hill. "Thank you, Ukitake-san."

* * *

Ichigo came around the corner by the 8th division at 9:45 and saw Kuukaku pacing in front of the gate. Every couple of passes, she'd stop and look toward the door as though she expected him to pop out at any minute. He sighed and took a deep breath before walking calmly up behind her.

"Kuukaku-san?" he said, trying not to startle her.

She spun to face him, wearing a huge smile. "Ah, Kurosaki. So good of you to show up."

Ichigo checked his watch. _"It's only 9:50, and here she is acting like I'm __late__? This is starting off exactly as I expected it to," _he thought. "Yeah," he said, "so what do you have planned for us today?"

"Well, first, I want to take you to one of my favorite sporting events. Then we'll need to grab something to eat, of course. After that I'd like to go sightseeing in the Rukongai, then take you back to my place."

"Wh-what for?" Ichigo said, feeling the color starting to creep into his face at that. _"What in the hell was wrong with these people! Why do they feel the need to make my life so difficult!"_

"_This is going to be too __easy__," _Kuukaku thought with a grin as she watched Ichigo squirm. "I've got a...friend who wants to come over and...have some fun with you."

"_Oh, shit," _thought Ichigo, _"this is not going to end well."_

"Well, come on!" Kuukaku said impatiently, "the fight's going to start soon."

"Fight?" Ichigo asked, growing more apprehensive by the minute.

"Yeah! The 11th division has a big brawl in their training arena once a month. It's great fun to watch!"

"11th division?" Ichigo asked weakly, "I don't know if that's such a good idea. Most of those guys are dying for the chance to fight me, and I'm not in much of a fighting mo..." Before Ichigo could finish his sentence, Kuukaku had punched him in the nose.

"Wrong answer!" she yelled, "The correct answer today is 'yes'. Say it with me: Y-E-S."

"Yes," Ichigo said, checking to be sure his nose wasn't broken and reluctantly falling in behind Kuukaku as she marched toward the 11th division's compound. As they walked, she regaled him with stories of the Shiba family's glorious history. Before he knew it, Kuukaku was guiding him down to a pair of front row seats.

Ichigo looked down into the arena and saw the familiar faces of the 11th division circled around Zaraki Kenpachi, who was giving directions. "All of you know the stupid rules Yamamoto-soutaichou has put on this: Yachiru and I can't play, no permanent disfigurement, no cutting off arms or legs, and," he rolled his one visible eye skyward, "no killing anybody. Anybody that breaks the rules answers to me, got it?"

A chorus of muttering was heard, and then Zaraki smiled. "Okay, then. Last man standing..."

Madarame Ikkaku lifted his voice and said, "Zaraki-taichou, wait a minute!"

"What? You turning chicken, Ikkaku?" one of the other squad members joked.

"Shut up! I saw Kurosaki Ichigo walk in with Shiba Kuukaku."

There was an outburst of shouting as the entire 11th division suddenly turned and locked their eyes onto Ichigo. He tried to shrink down in the seat, but he was already caught.

"Oi! Ichigo!" Ikkaku yelled, "Get your ass in here and join the fun!"

"Uhh, actually, I'm kind of on a date here," Ichigo said.

"Come on, Kurosaki," he taunted, "it'll be good for you! Get your blood pumping!"

"No thanks, Ikkaku. Maybe next time."

"Are you chicken, Kurosaki?" Kuukaku asked from beside him. "Afraid these big, strong men will break a little boy like you?"

"N-no," Ichigo stammered.

"Then go down there and show those punks what you're made of!"

"I don't...," Ichigo began, only to be cut off by the impact of Kuukaku's fist on his jaw.

"Not this again!" she yelled, throwing him over the retaining wall into the arena, "The correct answer is, 'Yes, I would love to go down and fight!'...so go!"

Ichigo stood up and dusted himself off, looking into the hungry eyes of the 11th division. Pulling his zanpakuto from his back he nodded at Kenpachi. "Bring it on," he growled, setting himself in a defensive posture.

"Good, good!" Kenpachi laughed, "Last man standing wins! Ready? Set? GO!"

The melee began instantaneously, the entire arena becoming a tangle of bodies and blood. Ichigo fought a smile as he battled his way toward the center of the arena, easily eliminating all who stood before him. Eventually he was face to face with their fourth seat, a giant of a man who was taking all comers with a ferocity none could match. He saw Ichigo standing there and swung his blade up, attempting to catch Ichigo under the arm. Ichigo deftly sidestepped the blow, allowing his opponent to step closer to him. He was about to bring his blade around for his own attack but paused as he heard a cry of "Ichigo!". Sparing an eye to identify his attacker, he saw Ikkaku bringing his Hoozukimaru down from behind him. He quickly brought Zangetsu around to block Ikkaku's attack with one hand, allowing the attack's momentum to carry the zanpakuto's hilt up into the giant's jaw. It shut his mouth with a click and snapped his head back, causing him to fall as limp as a boned fish.

"Ikkaku," Ichigo said with a nod, looking around. "Seems like we're the last ones here that are still able to fight."

"Looks that way," Ikkaku said as he daubed his wounds with medicine to stop the bleeding.

After contemplating one another in silence for a second, Ikkaku and Ichigo both dove forward to attack. "Still too slow," Ichigo said softly, reading Ikkaku's attack perfectly. He grinned as he caught Hoozukimaru in his bare hand and brought Zangetsu up to deliver a horrific blow across Ikkaku's chest. Ikkaku coughed hard as the wounds he'd sustained earlier opened up. Blood poured from him but he held his ground, setting his feet for another attack. Ichigo took a half-step back and readied himself for the blow to come...only it never did. As he watched, Ikkaku took a step toward him with his weapon raised only to fall face down into the pile of bodies at Ichigo's feet. Ichigo couldn't believe it, so he nudged him with his foot just to be sure. Ikkaku didn't even twitch.

"Nice work, Ichigo!" Kuukaku cheered from the sidelines, watching as Ichigo raised his zanpakuto in salute to the gathered crowd and members of the 4th division began clearing the carnage one fallen warrior at a time.

After his injuries had been treated, he rejoined Kuukaku outside the gate. He looked at his watch: one o'clock. "So, Kurosaki? Ready for some lunch?"

Ichigo nodded and turned to follow her. "Starving," he said.

"Great! I know of a little place in West Rukon. Let's go!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they sat at a table in a rather nice looking bar in the 1st District of West Rukon. Kuukaku was already on her third cup of sake before somebody came to take their order.

"I need you to bring us tuna salad, crackers, and milk," Kuukaku said with a sly wink at Ichigo, "good for strength and stamina...or so I'm told."

"Wait a minute! That's what I had for lunch with Yoruichi yesterday!" he protested.

"Really?" she asked with half-lidded eyes. "Ichigo, let me ask you a question..."

"What?" he snapped, just before she connected with a punch that knocked him to the floor.

"What's today's correct answer?" Kuukaku growled as he clambered up into his chair again.

"Yes," he sighed.

"Exactly!" she replied with a bright smile.

Within ten minutes, he had finished an entire bowl full of tuna salad and was halfway through his second, thinking _"Why does this kind of thing always seem to happen to me? Kuukaku and Yoruichi must have been in on this together the entire time! After what happened yesterday, I'd better make sure to eat enough to be prepared for anything. She may try to kill me before this is over! And what's all this about her 'friend' coming over? Who in the world would be friends with her?"_ He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the troubling possibilities and took another bite of the fish.

After they had finished eating, Kuukaku led Ichigo on a tour of places important to her in the Rukongai: the place where she had her first cup of sake, her first bar fight, and the bar she first met Yoruichi and Urahara in all those years ago. Of everything she'd put him through, this was at least interesting. Ichigo was fascinated to hear old stories about those who had helped him become the person and shinigami he was. After walking for a couple of hours, they found themselves back in western Rukongai, just passing by the gate where Ichigo had defeated the guardian Jidanbo years before. _"That really does seem like forever ago,"_ Ichigo thought.

"Shiba-san! Kurosaki-san!" they heard a loud voice calling from the direction of the Seireitei. Turning to look, they saw Jidanbo waving for them to come over.

"Jidanbo!" Ichigo greeted the much larger man warmly, "How have you been?"

"Very well, thank you," he replied, "What about the two of you? What brings you out into the Rukongai?"

"I'm taking Ichigo here out on a date," Kuukaku answered.

Before Ichigo could correct her, he heard a familiar voice call "Ken-chan! I found Ichi! He's over here with One-Arm!"

"Oh, shit," Ichigo said, grabbing Kuukaku's arm. "Sorry we can't stay and talk longer, Jidanbo, but we've got someplace to be!"

"Oh," said a disappointed Jidanbo, "I understand. Come back when you have more time, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Ichigo yelled over his shoulder as he took off running down a side street.

"What the hell are you doing, Kurosaki! You're tearing what's left of my arm off!"

"I don't feel like fighting with Kenpachi right now!"

Kuukaku rolled her eyes and blew out a breath. "Don't tell me you're chicken?"

"No," Ichigo said, taking another sudden turn, "I just don't feel like I should have to fight for my life every day!"

They rounded the next corner and Ichigo saw a shock of red hair above a shihakusho as Renji came staggering out of a bar. "Renji!" Ichigo called as he sped past.

"Wha?" Renji said as he turned to look in the direction Ichigo and Kuukaku had come from. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of Zaraki Kenpachi barreling down the alley, headed right for him. "I haven't had enough to drink to deal with this again," he mumbled as he turned and headed back into the bar. "Give me another round!" Kenpachi heard him shout as he raced past the door, hot on Ichigo's trail.

Ichigo stopped and leaned against a wall three blocks down, trying to catch his breath. His stomach was revolting against the tuna and milk he'd had for lunch and he gave serious thought to throwing up. "That's two days in a row!" he said as soon as he had breath enough to speak again, "Two days in a row I've been on the run from that maniac and his pink-haired fuku-taichou! What I wouldn't give just to get them off my back!"

"What if you could arrange to fight him once a year," Kuukaku suggested, "same rules as the 11th division's monthly brawl? No permanent disfigurement, no fighting to the death, no loss of a limb. Would you fight him like that?"

Ichigo pondered this for a moment. "Yeah. I think I could do that," he said.

"Good," said Kuukaku with a grin. "Oi, Yachiru-chan!"

"Heya, Ichi!" Yachiru said popping around the corner, "Are you ready to play with Ken-chan now?"

"Not yet," Kuukaku said, "but soon."

"Soon?"

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, "soon."

"Yay! I'll go tell Ken-chan!", the tiny fuku-taichou said, disappearing around the corner again.

"Come on, Ichigo," Kuukaku said, taking his arm firmly and leading him down the street.

"Where are we going now?" he asked.

"Back to my place, like I told you. I've got a friend who wants to come over and play."

Thirty minutes later Ichigo was standing in an abandoned pasture staring at a great pair of boar's legs holding a familiar looking sign in their hooves. "Home again at last!" Kuukaku said with a sigh.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he cried, pointing toward her house. "Did you let Ganju design that?"

Kuukaku punched Ichigo in the back of the head, growling "Watch it! It's my house, so it's none of your business what it looks like."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, laughing. _"Finally," _he thought,_ "we've reached the end of this fiasco,"_ he thought. _"I think I've taken as much of a beating today as I got the first time I trained with Urahara. At least I don't have to fight..."_

"Zaraki! We're here! Come on out!" Kuukaku yelled, looking around for the 11th division's captain.

"This way, Ken-chan!" Yachiru cried as she ran past Ichigo's leg. "I found them!"

"Finally!" Kenpachi's growled, "Sorry I'm late, Shiba-san. Bad directions again."

"What the..." Ichigo jumped as a large hand came down on his shoulder. He spun to see Kenpachi standing there with his usual maniacal grin.

"Yo, Kurosaki. Is now too soon?"

Realizing that he'd been duped, he turned back to look for Kuukaku only to find her calmly pouring herself a glass of sake and reclining on some pillows nearby. She raised her glass in salute and took a long swallow. _"Dammit,"_ Ichigo thought to himself, _"so much for that. But at least this will get Kenpachi to leave me alone for a while."_

"No, we can play for a little while," Ichigo said as he drew Zangetsu and took his stance.

Kenpachi ripped off his eye patch and tossed it to the ground. "Good," he roared, "let's go!"

* * *

Rukia stood on the terrace of the Kuchiki manor staring out at the sunset, lost in a memory. _"Three years ago today I didn't think I would ever see another sunset,"_ she thought, _"but then Ichigo came and he saved me. Stupid strawberry." _She sighed, closing her eyes against the light for a moment. _"I wonder what he's up to today with Kuukaku-san? I hope he's having a __good time."_ Opening her eyes again, she blinked as they adjusted. _"I hope he'll have a good time with me, too. I tried to plan a day with the things he likes to do, things we used to do together. Will it be enough?"_

"Kuchiki-san?", a voice said, pulling her from her reverie.

"Ukitake-taichou!" she said, turning to face her visitor. "What brings you out here?"

"It's been three years," he said with his gentle smile, "I'm old, but my memory hasn't failed me yet."

Rukia laughed softly. "I know," she said. "To be honest I was thinking about it myself."

"That was a scary time," Ukitake said, shaking his head as if he couldn't quite believe it had ever happened, "a very scary time for all of us."

Rukia nodded, remembering the fear of that day: hanging there alone, knowing she'd done all she could do to protect her friends from Karakura. _"But then Ichigo came and he..."_

"I saw him, today, you know. Standing under the remains of the Soukyouku."

"Who?" Rukia said, trying to keep her focus in the present.

"Kurosaki-san."

Rukia turned quickly to face him, "When? How was he?"

Ukitake laughed at the change in her demeanor. "This morning. He was doing all right when I saw him. Kyouraku-taichou is helping him."

Rukia's eyes widened. _"Taking relationship advice from Kyouraku Shunsui is as dangerous as trying to out-drink Rangiku with the bar tab on the line."_

Seeing her reaction, Ukitake held up a hand, "He's not giving much in the way of advice, just listening to what Ichigo has to say."

Relief washed over Rukia's features and she turned away from the sun, feeling it's last feeble rays warm the back of her shihakusho. "I'm glad to hear that."

"He also asked me to give you a message," Ukitake said quietly.

"A...a message?" Rukia stammered, her cheeks turning pink, "What kind of a message?"

"Happy anniversary," he replied with a smile.

"He remembered," she whispered, a smile forming on her lips.

Ukitake cleared his throat. "On that note," he turned and started walking away, "I'll take my leave. I promised to meet Kyouraku-taichou for dinner. Good luck, Rukia."

She swallowed hard, thinking back on her plans for her time with Ichigo. "Thank you, Ukitake-taichou. Good night."

* * *

Around 10 o'clock Ichigo stumbled through the front gate of the 8th division and found his way to Kyouraku Shunsui's office. He knocked halfheartedly and fell into a chair.

"Kurosaki-san, you look tired," Shunsui said with a grin. "Did she wear you out?"

"Not her," Ichigo groaned, "Kenpachi."

"Kenpachi?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. "That bastard has chased me all over the Seireitei and Rukongai for the past two days wanting a fight. So, after Kuukaku takes me to the 11th division's monthly brawl and I get dragged into that fight, she tricks me into agreeing to fight Kenpachi at her place in west Rukon."

Shunsui surveys the damage: a cut above his left eye, a few bruises, but otherwise unharmed. "How did you manage to get out of that? You don't look like somebody who's been facing the business end of Kenpachi's zanpakuto."

Ichigo smirked, "You should see the other guy. Besides, I just came from the fourth division. Unohana-taichou sends her best."

Kyouraku chuckled and poured himself another cup of sake. "The past couple of days have been pretty rough on you, haven't they Kurosaki-san?"

"Tell me about it. As if that's not bad enough, Yoruichi and Kuukaku worked together to make them that way." He shook his head. "Women."

"You've got that right," Shunsui said with a relaxed smile.

"So, do you know which of the two remaining suitors has me tomorrow?" Ichigo asked. _"Please say Rukia, please say Rukia, dear God, please let it be..."_

"Kasumi-Ouji Akame-san," Shunsui said as he read the note Amekaeru had sent over with a grimace.

"Oh. What's with the face?"

"Well...it seems that she plans to be here to pick you up at 7 o'clock."

"Wow, that late?" Ichigo said, relief evident in his voice. "Finally, somebody with enough sense to make a regular date out of this."

"Uh, n-no, Kurosaki-san. Seven AM."

"WHAT!" Ichigo cried as he jumped up from his chair, "That means I'll have to be up in...," he counted quickly, "seven hours just to get ready!"

"Good night, Kurosaki-san!" Shunsui called as Ichigo bolted back to his quarters, "and good luck!" he added under his breath.


	7. A Reasonable Facsimile

_**Chapter 7: A Reasonable Facsimile**_

It was still dark outside when Amekaeru stopped in the doorway of Ichigo's temporary quarters in the 8th division's barracks and looked in at his sleeping form. _"I almost hate to wake him,"_ she thought, _"since I know how hard the past few days have been." _She gathered her resolve and stepped into the room, reaching out to shake his foot. "Ichigo-dono," she said softly.

"Hmmm?" he said, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Ichigo-dono," Amekaeru said, shaking him harder now, "I know it is still early, but you need to get up. Kasumi-Ouji-san will be here in a little less than an hour."

"Ohhhh," Ichigo groaned, rolling over in the bed and opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling. "This is going to be a very long day," he said.

Amekaeru nodded. "I understand your feelings, Ichigo-dono, but this is the way that generations of the royal family have chosen a wife. Some traditions must be upheld."

Ichigo sat up and scratched his head, suddenly realizing it was still dark outside. "What time is it?" he asked.

"It is 6:15, Ichigo-dono. You have forty-five minutes to prepare yourself for today's suitor, Kasumi-Ouji Akame."

Ichigo turned and stood up, the cold stone floor leeching the heat from his body and sending goosebumps up his back. He stretched and looked out the window as Amekaeru leaned past him to straighten up the bed. "Amekaeru-san," Ichigo said quietly, "you've met this Akame before. What's she like?"

"I am sorry, Ichigo-dono. I have only met your four suitors twice. The first was the meeting I had with them to set the ground rules for the time they would spend with you, and the second was when they returned to give me the details of their plans. I do not know any of them well enough to tell you anything about their character."

Ichigo sighed and nodded his head. "So, you can't even give me a tiny hint about what I can expect from her today?"

Amekaeru pursed her lips as she thought for a moment. _"Surely it would not hurt to at least let him know what he is in for,"_ she thought. "She is a very serious young woman," she answered finally, "who intends to spend as much time with you today as she possibly can."

Ichigo's heart sank and he shook his head as he walked out of his room toward the bathroom. "This really is going to be a very very long day," Amekaeru heard him mumble before the bathroom door shut behind him.

* * *

Akame stood outside the 8th division's barracks at 6:55, tapping her foot. "Come on, come on!" she said, as if urging the clock to move faster. Each minute seemed to take a century and she was rapidly losing her patience. The retainer Lurichiyo had sent with her to carry the tray of food was getting nervous, expecting to see an outburst of the famous Kasumi-Ouji temper at any moment.

"Excuse me," Akame heard a voice say behind her and turned to see a dark haired shinigami wearing glasses and an armband that identified her as the fuku-taichou of the 8th division.

"Yes?"

"Are you here to see Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"Yes, I am."

"Please, come in," she said. Nanao led her into Kyouraku-taichou's office and allowed her to sit down while she went looking for Shunsui. Akame motioned for the retainer to set the tray down on the desk. While Nanao was gone Akame began to wander around the office, idly thumbing through a random book she pulled from the shelf behind the desk. She heard someone shuffling behind her and turned to see a man wearing a pink kimono over his haori and shihakusho lifting the towel the kitchen staff had used to cover the tray of food she was bringing for Ichigo.

"Hey! Who are you! Leave that alone!" she said angrily, turning to swat the older man's hand away.

"Ah," Kyouraku Shunsui replied, disappointed at not being able to find out what was under the towel. "You must be Kasumi-Ouji Akame-san here to see Kurosaki-san."

"That's right," she said, turning her nose up at him, "and who are you?"

Shunsui politely inclined his head toward the girl, "Kyouraku Shunsui-taichou of the 8th division. Give me a minute to tell Kurosaki-san that you're here."

"That would be appreciated. Thank you."

Shunsui hurried out of the office and returned a moment later with the orange-haired shinigami in tow.

Akame stood up as he entered, bowing graciously. "Good morning, Kurosaki-san," she said.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, rubbing his sleepy eyes, "morning."

"I took the liberty of having our kitchen staff prepare you some breakfast," she said as she gestured to the retainer, who pulled the towel off the tray on Kyouraku's desk. Ichigo's mouth watered as he eyed the mix of muffins and pastries stacked up around sliced melons, strawberries, and grapes. "I hope it is to your liking," she said with a smile, taking note of the time and silently ticking off the first item on her mental "to do" list.

Ichigo picked up a large bran muffin from the tray and took a bite. Akame watched his face anxiously as he chewed. It melted in his mouth, leaving a faint aftertaste of honey. "That's good!" he said as his usual scowl twitched into a smile. "Aren't you going to eat?" he asked her.

"No," she replied, "I ate before I came this morning."

Ichigo saw motion from the corner of his eye and glanced away from Akame to see Kyouraku snaking a hand across his desk to pinch a danish, only to be thwarted as Akame lifted the tray and held it out to Ichigo. "Please, eat all you like."

"Thank you," said Ichigo, his mouth full of muffin. She sat quietly while he ate, Akame alternating between watching Ichigo and watching the clock. As the clock struck eight, Akame suddenly stood up and touched Ichigo's hand to get his attention. "Come on, Kurosaki-san. Let's go shopping!" Ichigo's confused look escaped her attention as she walked past him out the door. He looked at Kyouraku and shrugged, tossing him the danish he'd just picked up.

He stood in the doorway watching them walk away and took a bite of the danish. "So long, Kurosaki-san," Shunsui called after him with a chuckle, "have fun!"

He walked back into his office and sat down in his chair, taking another bite of the pastry. "Nanao-chan!" he called. No answer. "Where is my cute, cute, Nanao-chan?"

She stepped around the corner, glasses glinting in the early morning light. "Yes, taichou?"

"Why don't you come sit down and enjoy some of these fine pastries Kasumi-Ouji-san left behind?"

"Thank you," Nanao said, sitting down and observing her captain warily. He never offered anything like this without wanting something in exchange.

"Now, Nanao-chan," he began.

"_Here we go," _she thought, bracing herself for some of his usual perverted suggestions.

"Why don't you tell me why you've been eavesdropping on the conversations Kurosaki-san and I have been having?"

"What?" she said, not only surprised at the content of the question, but at its playful tone.

"Come on, Nanao-chan! I could feel your reiatsu in the next room! What are you up to?"

* * *

Akame led Ichigo through the streets of the Seireitei. She seemed to be in a hurry and he found himself struggling to keep up. "Akame," he said, finally using shunpo to get a little ahead of her, "where are you taking me?"

"Oh, it is one of my favorite shops, Kurosaki-san! I am sure you will enjoy it!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, thinking _"Is she even capable of holding a conversation? As much as I hate shopping with Rukia, at least __she__ was good company."_ He fell in behind Akame and followed her until she stopped in front of a store with a shihakusho-wearing mannequin in the front window.

"What the hell?" Ichigo breathed, trying to take in what he saw: the mannequin had a cardboard zanpakuto, an obvious copy of Zangetsu, only instead of hanging by a plain red baldric, the mannequin's was covered with yellow sequins. He looked up to see 'Accessorize Your Life: Shinigami Fashions' emblazoned in bold letters above the door.

"We're here!" Akame said, excitedly.

They wandered around together, looking at the various displays, including one bearing a sign that said "Official Ryoka-wear!" over a table full of hairpins like Orihime's and replicas of Uryuu's uniform and Quincy cross. Ichigo turned and stumbled backwards at the sight of Ayasegawa Yumichika trying on kimonos in various colors with the same pattern as those Kyouraku-taichou always wore.

"What a bunch of useless junk," Ichigo mumbled as Akame led him deeper into the store, finally stopping in front of a rack that held baldrics and sheaths in various colors and patterns. His heart sank as she picked up a burnt orange baldric and held it up over his usual red one to compare the look.

"This one really picks up the color of your hair, Kurosaki-san," she said. "Have you ever thought about changing colors to one that matches a little better?"

"Not really,"

"Awww," she pouted as she hung the baldric back on the rack, picking up blue one and admiring the contrast with his eyes. "What about this one?"

"Uh, no, actually," Ichigo said as he backed away from her slowly. "I like it just the way it is, thank you."

"Did you have anything else you wanted to look at in here?"

"_What do you mean 'is there anything else __I__ wanted to look at in here?" _Ichigo thought, _"It was __your__ idea to come in here in the first place!" _Ichigo surveyed the shop once more before shaking his head. "I think I've seen all there is to see in here," he answered politely.

"Okay! There are a couple of other stores I wanted to visit before lunch time."

Emerging into the busy street, Ichigo had the nagging feeling that he wasn't going to get a moment's peace until he bought something. "What about a bookstore?" he asked her, falling in behind her again. _"I really need to pick up a replacement copy of Shakespeare's sonnets," _he thought,_ "mine is falling apart."_

"That's a great idea, Kurosaki-san! I know just the place."

They walked for thirty minutes before she pulled him through the door of "Yuuichi's Education Emporium". Rows upon rows of academy textbooks and study materials lined the walls. Ichigo smirked as he read some of the titles: 'Communicating with your Zanpakuto: a beginner's guide', 'Advanced Kidou Spells manual, levels 40 through 60', and 'Kidou for Dummies: a pocket reference'. As his eyes fell on the last book, he picked it up and began to page through it, taking note of the simplified instructions and incantations used. _"This would be interesting," _he thought to himself. _"Maybe I could pick up a little kidou and impress Rukia." _Akame had walked ahead and was browsing in another section when he called out to her, causing her to hurry back to him.

"Did you find something you like, Kurosaki-san?"

"Y-yeah," he said, holding up the 'Kidou for Dummies' book.

"Ooh! That looks interesting!" she cooed walking off to find the shopkeeper so Ichigo could pay for the book.

Meanwhile, Ichigo stayed behind and opened the book to the first page, reading quietly, "Before you begin, it is important to have good control of your reiatsu. Poorly controlled or uncontrolled reiatsu can cause a spell to backfire, badly injuring the shinigami who attempted it." He shut the book and cursed under his breath. _"I think I might be wasting my money,"_ he thought as Akame returned with the shopkeeper. He glanced down at his watch: 10:30. _"I've made it this far...maybe today won't be so bad after all."_

"Are you finished in here, Kurosaki-san?" Akame asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I think so," he replied.

Back on the street again, Ichigo spotted a shinigami emerging from a nearby store holding Chappy Soul Candy. "What kind of store is that," he asked Akame, pointing.

She smiled, proud to have a chance to educate him about the workings of Soul Society. "That's Shuppatsu City, where all the shinigami assigned to duty in the living world pick up the necessary supplies before they leave."

"_I thought Urahara's was the only place to pick up stuff like that," _Ichigo thought, _"Of course, he'd have to get most of that junk from somewhere, wouldn't he?"_

"Do you want to take a look?" she asked, checking the clock, "We have a little bit of time left before lunch."

"Sure," Ichigo said, crossing the street, "let's check it out."

Walking through the door, Ichigo could see racks of familiar looking objects: Soul Candy dispensers, blank gigais waiting to be customized, and cell phones capable of receiving orders from Soul Society. _"The prices here are so much lower than Urahara's!" _he thought to himself,_ "Of course, the people that usually buy from him really don't mind paying the extra money for that convenience. Especially if they're suddenly so drained of reiatsu they're in need of an emergency gigai."_

He walked deeper into the shop and found a small section of books with titles like 'Speaking the Language: Communicating with the Recently Deceased', 'Blending In: A Guide to Modern Society', and 'Fermented and Brewed: Kyouraku's Pocket Guide to the Spirits of the Living World'. He shook his head and turned his attention to a section filled with clothing racks, one for nearly every culture in the world. This made sense, because shinigami were at work performing konso among every nation, tribe, and tongue. It wasn't until he was flipping through these racks of clothing that he noticed Akame had disappeared.

"Akame?" he called, looking around. He finally spotted her taking a look at some new gigais. He walked over and lifted the hand of the one next to her, making a mental note of several defects in the body's muscle tone. _"Urahara's gigais may be more expensive," _Ichigo thought,_ "but at least you get what you pay for." _Ichigo saw Akame stiffen and followed her gaze to the clock. 11:15.

"Kurosaki-san!" she said shrilly.

"Yeah,"

"What would you say to getting some lunch?"

"I could eat, I guess," he shrugged, thinking back to the giant tray of baked goods she'd brought earlier.

"Let's go, then. I've got a nice picnic spot picked out in the forest about 25 minutes from here."

"Okay," Ichigo said, dropping the limp hand of the gigai, "let's go."

* * *

Trudging down the path that led from the edge of Rukongai to the forest, Ichigo was starting to feel the toll the past week had taken on him. It felt like exhaustion was hounding his every step just waiting for him to stumble so it could consume him. He shook his head and took a deep breath, hoping to be able to smell the evergreens that made up this edge of the forest. As he caught the faintest whiff of pine on the breeze a memory drifted through his mind's eye of decorating the Christmas tree with Isshin, Karin, Yuzu, and Rukia last year. He smiled as he remembered lifting Rukia by the waist so she could reach after Isshin insisted she have the honor of putting the star on top.

Akame turned to look at him as she heard him sigh. _"He looks so gentle when he smiles like that,"_ she thought. _"I don't think I've seen him look that way all morning. I wonder what he's thinking about?"_ Gathering her courage, she decided to ask him the question that was on her mind. "Kurosaki-san, may I ask what you are thinking about?"

"Hmm?" Ichigo said, dragging his mind back to the present.

"You had a very peaceful smile on your face just now. What were you thinking about?"

"The smell of the trees reminded me of a special occasion with my family," he answered.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

"Y-yeah," he said nervously, "of course I am!"

Akame beamed and looked around, holding up a hand to keep him from walking further. "We're here!" she cried.

Ichigo surveyed his surroundings: a large clearing, surrounded by towering oaks, maples, and evergreens. Standing in the midst of the natural splendor was a Kasumi-Ouji retainer holding a large basket with a blanket on top of it. She bowed as they approached her. "Akame-sama, Kurosaki-sama, your lunch. Courtesy of Kasumi-Ouji Lurichiyo-sama," she said, setting the basket down to open the blanket. Ichigo stepped in to help her spread it out in a shady corner of the clearing. The retainer then opened the basket and began setting out the containers of food. In less than five minutes she had two places set, complete with napkins, plates, and utensils.

"Will there be anything else, Akame-sama?"

"Thank you," Akame said, with a nod, "that will be all."

Bowing again, the retainer disappeared from sight. "I hope you like what we have prepared for you, Kurosaki-san," Akame said as she gestured to each of the containers in turn, "prosciutto and swiss finger sandwiches, fresh fruit, and something Lurichiyo-sama called 'potato salad'. She said she got the recipe from Inoue Orihime-san."

Ichigo paled slightly as he thought about Orihime's cooking. He lifted the container of potato salad and sniffed it. _"Smells okay," _he thought as she laid the rest of the food on the blanket, _"and if I remember correctly, prosciutto is a kind of ham, so this should be pretty good. After all, the breakfast she brought was _great." He sat down on the blanket with her and accepted the sandwich she held out to him. He took a bite and closed his eyes, savoring the smoky, salty taste. "Wow," he said with his mouth half-full, "that's good."

"I'm glad you think so," Akame said, dabbing at the corner of her mouth with her napkin before taking another bite of her own sandwich. "I have something else special planned after lunch, so please eat all you want."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, wondering what 'something else special' could be, but continued eating the sandwiches and fruit. When he had finished them, he sat staring at the potato salad on his plate. He hesitated for a moment before scooping a bite up and placing it in his mouth. Though the texture was right for potato salad, he would almost swear he was eating..."Egg salad?" he said under his breath before taking another bite. _"Yeah, that's definitely __egg__ and not potatoes. Considering the source of the recipe I'm just glad it's __edible__."_ As he lifted his third bite to his mouth, he heard the clip-clopping of hooves in the distance.

"Ahhh," Akame said as she stood up, her eyes widening, "our carriage is here. Looks like it's already time to go."

Ichigo swallowed hard and barely had time to set his plate down before a pair of Kasumi-Ouji retainers appeared in the clearing and began to pack away the dishes. He stood up, folded the blanket, and handed it to the nearest servant, who was a little bewildered as to why the man who was going to be the Spirit King was lowering himself by doing common labor. After a last, longing look at the picnic basket, Ichigo turned to see Akame sitting in the open top carriage and looking at him expectantly. The driver offered him a hand up, which he refused, preferring to climb up under his own power. He took a deep breath and sat down next to Akame, who smiled as the driver took his place.

"Shall we go, Kurosaki-san?"

"Sure."

* * *

Between the repetitive sound of the horse's hooves on the turf and the gentle rocking of the carriage as it bounced through the forest, Ichigo could feel his eyelids getting heavier. _"I'm beat," _Ichigo thought to himself as he surrendered to exhaustion and allowed his eyes to close.

"So, Kurosaki-san," Akame began, "when you are confirmed as Spirit King, what will you do?"

Ichigo forced his eyes to open and slowly turned to face her. "I'm sorry," he said with a sleepy slur in his voice, "what did you say?"

Anyone observing would have seen a flash of frustration in her eyes as she repeated herself. Even Ichigo would normally have noticed it, but he was almost lulled back to sleep by the carriage's motion. "I asked you what your plans are once you become the Spirit King. Almost every major decision in Soul Society will be made by you, Yamamoto Genryuusai, and the new members of the Central 46 once they are selected. What are you going to do with that power?"

Ichigo rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up, and answered her question the only way he knew how: "To be honest, I don't know."

"You don't know?" Akame said in disbelief, "How could you not know? Surely there is something you wish to accomplish!"

Ichigo thought back over all the things he'd learned and experienced since becoming a shinigami. The numerous times that Soul Society's justice system had condemned innocents, the cruel and sometimes dangerous experiments conducted by that lunatic Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the cover-up of the bakkutou katana by the Kasumi-Ouji family and complicit members of Central 46. Gathering his thoughts, he answered her more confidently, "I don't know specifically what I'm going to do, but there are some things I definitely want to see changed."

Akame looked at him curiously as he continued, "While I can't make up for any of the things that have already happened, I can make sure that history does not repeat itself.

"That sounds very noble, Kurosaki-san. I hope that you are able to accomplish your goals," Akame said, though she didn't quite understand what he was talking about.

"Thank you," Ichigo replied with a yawn.

"Are you tired, Kurosaki-san?"

"No," Ichigo said with a polite smile. Despite his best efforts to hold it in, he was betrayed by a second yawn.

"Yes, you are!" Akame insisted. "Would you like stop to rest for a bit?"

The driver cleared his throat and shook his head, indicating that they did not have any time to lose.

"N-no," Ichigo said, "thank you."

"Did you not sleep well last night, Kurosaki-san?"

"I slept fine, it's just that the past couple of days...," he trailed off, at a loss for words to describe them to her.

"Yes?" Akame said, leaning in to hear what he would say about his first two suitors.

"Well, the time I spent with Yoruichi-san and Kuukaku-san was very...hectic."

"How so?"

"_Where do I start?"_ Ichigo thought, taking a deep breath. "I'm sure you know about Yoruichi's nickname? The Goddess of Flash?" Akame nodded. "Well, she swiped this," he continued, sliding a finger under the baldric that held Zangetsu on his back, "and I had to shunpo all around the Seireitei chasing her to get it back."

"That's terrible!" Akame cried.

"That's nothing," Ichigo said, "she also spent the entire day in her feline form!"

"Feline...form?" Akame said, her jaw dropping open, "Shihouin Yoruichi can turn into a cat?! You had to spend an entire day chasing a stupid cat around the Seireitei?"

Ichigo nodded. "To make things worse, I had Zaraki Kenpachi chasing me wanting to fight!"

Akame reached out a tentative hand and touched his knee, "Oh, Kurosaki-san, I'm so sorry you had to go through all that!"

Ichigo was so caught up in venting about the past two days that he didn't notice her touch. Instead, he launched into another rant: "And then Kuukaku actually made a deal with that psychopath that he could fight me at the end of the day yesterday. That was after she threw me into the midst of a brawl at the 11th division and punched me in the face every time I disagreed with her!"

By now, Akame was shocked into silence. She withdrew her hand from Ichigo's leg and cupped it over her mouth to hide the smile that was slowly forming there. _"Perfect!"_ she thought, _"There is not a true lady among them! I expected as much from Kuchiki, but it turns out that __none__ of the other three suitors has had the kind of proper upbringing that I have. They will not have a chance!"_

Ichigo carried on this way as the carriage rumbled its way out of the forest, through the Rukongai, and back into the Seireitei, finally running out of steam as the carriage began to slow, stopping outside a large auditorium Ichigo read the marquee aloud, "The Ryoka Who Came?"

"Yes!" said Akame excitedly, "It's a new play! Tonight is opening night, and I hear they are supposed to have a fantastic guest actress!"

The driver brought the carriage to a halt and Ichigo jumped out over the side before the driver could come around to open the door and offer a hand. "So, this play...it's about...?"

"You," Akame replied with a smile.

"Me?!" Ichigo said, eyes widening as he absently reached to open the door for her.

"Well, it's about your friends too. It's the story of when you came to Soul Society to save Kuchiki Rukia."

Akame handed a pair of tickets to the usher, who showed them to seats in the front row. _"A play about us?"_ Ichigo thought as he settled into his seat and the lights dimmed, _"Will we be the heroes or the villains?"_

The curtain went up and the play started. Ichigo watched with keen interest as the actors told the story of their entry into the Seireitei, following Chad as he defeated every shinigami he faced until he ran into Kyouraku Shunsui, then back to Ichigo as he and Ganju navigated their way through the sewer system with Hanatarou. Ichigo winced at their depiction of his battle with Renji, making him out to be an unstoppable monster while Renji was a pitiful shell of the man he knew. They did a better job with his battle against Zaraki Kenpachi, though the actor playing Kenpachi showed more emotion than the real Zaraki would ever acknowledge having. _"All in all it was fairly well done,"_ Ichigo thought, _"although I still haven't seen Rukia yet. I wonder who they got to play her?"_

As if in answer to his silent question, the scene changed to show the elevated execution stand at the Soukyouku, and a busty woman, quite a bit taller than the real Rukia, crucified on it. Ichigo could hear the wires creak as the actor playing him swooped in with his prop Zangetsu to stop a stylized version of the great phoenix as it swooped toward her.

"I-Ichigo!" she said, and his blood froze. _"That voice! Matsumoto Rangiku?"_

The actor playing Ichigo put his arm around Rukia's waist and tossed her down to Renji. Below, Ichigo could see the three fuku-taichou standing ready to oppose him. He leaned forward as the actor playing him dove among them and defeated them barehanded in a fair approximation of Ichigo's own memory of that day. The scene suddenly changed again to his final battle with Kuchiki Byakuya. The prop department had used pink confetti to represent his Senbonzakura, and Ichigo laughed as one of the "petals" lodged in his hair. _"I wish the real Senbonzakura only dealt as much damage as these paper flowers. It would have made for a much easier battle,"_ he thought with a chuckle.

Soon, though, Byakuya was defeated and Aizen appeared. Ichigo's face flushed and he clenched the arms of his seat as he watched Aizen nearly cut him in half and extract the Hougyouku from Rukia. Ichigo felt pangs of the same helplessness he'd felt that day as the actors that played Tousen, Ichimaru, and Aizen were lifted offstage. Before Ichigo could get his emotions under control, the scene changed again to show the ryoka departing for Karakura, complete with Ukitake handing over the substitute shinigami badge. As the curtain fell, Ichigo found himself surprisingly impressed with the way they had told the story.

Ichigo caught a blur of motion from the corner of his eye and saw the woman who had played Rukia running toward him, a stray lock of blond hair hanging out from under her wig. "Ichigo!" the actress called.

"_Yep, I was right: that's definitely Rangiku," _he thought. "Hello, Rangiku-san," Ichigo said as she stopped in front of him. "You did a nice job up there. I'm guessing you were the advertised 'guest actress'?"

"Thanks! Yep, they were talking about me!" Rangiku said, nodding excitedly.

"How in the world did you end up the guest actress?"

"Well, you see," she replied, lowering her voice, "I had heard the cast and crew were having a big party after the premiere. I bugged them to let me attend, but they told me that if I did I would have to act in at least one performance."

"Ah," Ichigo said, nodding his head. _"Of course Rangiku wouldn't miss a party," _he thought, _"especially if the booze was free!"_

"It was fun, too! The writers did a good job with the story, but I think they left out a lot of the romantic stuff people noticed when you were marching through the Seireitei like a man on fire."

A blush crept into Ichigo's cheeks. "I-It wasn't tha..."

"Come on, Kurosaki-san!" Akame said, grabbing the sleeve of his shihakusho and half-leading half-dragging him toward the exit. "We need to get going if we are going to make it to dinner on time!"

"O-okay, Akame-san," he said, turning to walk with her as they reached the street.

"_Damn that Rangiku!" _Ichigo thought, _"Making such a big deal out of all that. It's not like I was in love with her, for crying out loud." _He sighed, blowing out a breath as he realized something important: _"Rangiku has a better point than I'd like to admit. Even way back then, Rukia was precious to me."_ He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his head, never noticing he was falling farther and farther behind Akame.

"Kurosaki-san!" he heard her call, "Are you coming?"

"Sorry, Akame-san!" he said, picking up his pace to catch up with her.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Ichigo and Akame were standing outside the gates of the Kasumi-Ouji family compound. They creaked open and Ichigo recognized the shinigami walking out to meet them. "Kenryuu-san!" he called.

Kenzaki Ryuusei bowed deeply and said, "Good evening, Kurosaki-sama, Akame-sama. Your meal has already been prepared and is waiting for you in the third dining chamber."

"Thank you, Kenzaki-san," Akame replied, motioning that Ichigo should follow him.

Ichigo followed Kenryuu across the grounds and through the massive house until he opened a door that led into a room with a long, low table. Ichigo's eyes widened as he looked at the place settings. Gold-rimmed china sat on top of silver chargers, flanked on the left side by three forks, and on the right by a knife between two spoons. Ichigo watched as Akame waited for a retainer to step forward from the wall and pull out her chair before being seated. As the retainer walked around the table to do the same for him, Ichigo held up a hand, pulled his own chair out and sat down slowly. The retainer gave him a puzzled look, but retreated to his former position at a nod from Kenryuu.

A waiter emerged from a previously hidden door and set a bowl of soup down in front of each of them. Ichigo stared at the spoons sitting to the right of his plate in horror, afraid to pick up the wrong one. Kenryuu rolled his eyes, _"I had forgotten how uncouth this boy was," _he thought as he watched Ichigo panic.

"K-Kenryuu-san," Ichigo whispered quietly enough that Akame didn't notice.

"Yes, Kurosaki-sama?" the older man whispered back, taking a step closer to him.

"Which spoon am I supposed to use? And how come there are so damn many forks?! Don't they all do the same thing?"

Kenryuu bit back the comment he was about to make, remembering Ichigo's common lifestyle in Karakura. Instead, he simply answered, "The spoon on the far right is for the soup. The fork on the far left is for your salad. Once those have been used they will be removed from the table by one of these servants. The next thing you'll use is your dinner fork and the knife. Once those have been used, they, too will be removed. The innermost fork and spoon are for your dessert, depending on which utensil you use to eat it. Does that help?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, scratching his head as he tried desperately to commit the correct order to memory. "Thanks." He picked up the soup spoon and took a bite, allowing the rich liquid to warm him from the inside out.

Kenryuu stood in the corner, directing the other servants like an orchestra conductor while Ichigo and Akame ate. _"They're hardly even speaking to one another," _he observed, _"whether they are eating or not. I can remember times with Kuchiki-sama and Kurosaki-sama in the living world where they wouldn't __stop__ talking to one another despite having huge mouthfuls of food. To think that this boy could even get a daughter of the Kuchiki to act like a disgusting commoner..."_ He shuddered at the memory. _"Of course, some of that talking was arguing, but even a dunce could see how much they cared about one another, despite all that." _He shook his head and cast a sympathetic look at Akame. _"Akame-sama, I hope you've not got your hopes up over this. Lurichiyo-sama was right: it's fairly obvious that he's just going through the motions with you."_

Ichigo finished his dinner without further incident and pushed himself back from the table with a yawn. Akame looked at him from the opposite end of the table. "Are you still tired, Kurosaki-san?" she asked, her concern evident in her voice.

"_I've been fighting off sleep since lunch!" _he screamed in his mind. "Yeah," he said, keeping his temper in check, "I'm sorry, Akame-san. I had a really great time today, but I'm having a hard time holding my head up."

Akame gave him a gentle smile and stood up from the table, a female servant rushing in behind her to push her chair in. "Come on, Kurosaki-san," she said, "let's get you home. Kenzaki-san!"

"Yes, Akame-sama?"

"Please have them bring the carriage back around for Kurosaki-san."

"Yes," he replied as he disappeared.

"Akame-san, that's really not necessary," Ichigo said, "I can make it back to the 8th division on foot."

"Nonsense, Kurosaki-san!" she replied, "it will be much faster for you to accept my hospitality."

Ichigo didn't have to think too hard about it before nodding in agreement. _"After all the running around I've done these past three days it would be nice to be able to relax a little," _he thought. "Thank you, Akame-san."

"Goodnight, Kurosaki-san," Akame said, inclining her head slightly, "Thank you for spending today with me."

"You're welcome," he replied, turning as Kenryuu cleared his throat behind him.

"Kurosaki-sama, your carriage is ready. If you will come with me?"

"Sure," Ichigo said, turning to follow him out the door.

"_A perfect day," _Akame thought to herself as the door closed behind the two men. _"I have done the Kasumi-Ouji proud, Lurichiyo-sama. All that's left to do is to seal my victory by making sure he is able to break ties with that Kuchiki woman." _Akame sighed contentedly. _"By this time tomorrow, it will all be over."_

* * *

"Kurosaki-sama. Kurosaki-sama!" Ichigo heard faintly as his eyes opened. "We have arrived, Kurosaki-sama."

"Mmmm," Ichigo grunted and sat up, stretching his arms over his head. He stepped down out of the carriage with the retainer's assistance and staggered into the 8th division's barracks, still half asleep.

"Kurosaki-san?" he heard a voice call from behind him. Turning, he saw Kyouraku Shunsui sticking his head out of his office to greet him. "How did it go?"

Ichigo laughed. "About as well as could be expected," he said, "she was very pretty and very nice, but..."

"But?" Kyouraku said with a twinkle in his eye.

"But she's not the one for me, either."

Shunsui sat down in his chair and poured two cups of sake, handing one to Ichigo. "So, Kurosaki-san...you didn't choose Yoruichi. You didn't choose Kuukaku. And now you haven't chosen this girl either? You do realize there's only one day and one choice left, don't you?" he teased.

Ichigo smirked at him and took a long swallow of the sake, letting it burn its way down his throat. "I know," he said softly, "and I've been looking forward to this all week long."

Shunsui set a hand on the younger man's shoulder and squeezed gently. "Get some rest, Kurosaki-san. Amekaeru-san sent word not more than an hour ago that you are to meet Kuchiki-san at the gates of the Kuchiki family manor at 11:30"

"Tonight?" Ichigo said, his eyes widening in fear as he wondered if he'd ever be allowed to sleep again.

Shunsui roared with laughter, "No, no, Kurosaki-san! 11:30 in the morning."

Ichigo finished the sake in another swallow. "Thanks for the drink, Kyouraku-taichou," he said as he left the office and made his way down to the temporary quarters he'd been assigned. Not even bothering to undress, he fell into the bed and was asleep within five minutes.

Feeling his reiatsu fall into a tranquil pattern, Shunsui raised his voice slightly and called "You can come out now, Nanao-chan! He's asleep."

Nanao's head popped up in the window. "So, Kyouraku-taichou, he has decided?"

"He has indeed. Not that we didn't already know, but it was better to be safe than sorry."

She nodded her head. "I've already spoken to the Shinigami Women's Association and after hearing about everything that Kurosaki-san has been through, they have voted unanimously to fund the party that you and Ukitake-taichou have been planning."

"Thank you, Nanao-chan," he said with a grin as he used shunpo to dash out the door to find Ukitake.

"_What did you expect, taichou?" _Nanao thought, "t_he party is for one of our own, after all."_


	8. Nothing Like the Real Thing

_**Chapter 8: Nothing Like the Real Thing**_

_**Author's Note: "**__**Lassi is a popular and traditional South Asian drink originating from **__**North India, commonly served with curry dishes**__**. It is made by blending **__**yoghurt**__** with water, salt, pepper, ice and spices until frothy. Traditional lassi is sometimes flavored with ground roasted **__**cumin**__**. Lassi is also available as sweet with sugar." (courtesy of Wikipedia)**_

_**Health and Safety Warning: Due to the nature of the IchiRuki moments in this chapter, the authors would like to advise all IchiRuki shippers to be securely seated while reading. We will not be held responsible for any bodily harm that occurs during any potential IchiRuki fangasms that result from reading this chapter.**_

Hiding behind a tree within shouting distance of the gates to the Kuchiki manor, Akame stuck her head out, looking for Rukia. _"I have been here since before sunrise watching for her and have not seen anyone coming or going. Given her obvious lack of social graces, she must be running late!"_ A triumphant smirk crept across her face at that thought. She shook it off and hid herself again. _"Well, it __is__ only eight o'clock. Perhaps Kuchiki-san made arrangements to meet him at nine. I will keep watching and wait until she leaves."_

* * *

Rukia woke up early as she always did when staying in the Kuchiki manor. She stretched and rubbed her eyes, then suddenly remembered what day it was. _"Today's the day,"_ she thought as she jumped out of bed to start getting ready. She brushed her hair quickly and shrugged into her shihakusho, adjusting the way Sode no Shirayuki hung at her side. She nearly jumped out of her skin at a knock on her door.

"Come in!" she called, turning to see Byakuya already stepping through the door.

"Nii-sama!" she cried, bowing to the elder Kuchiki.

"Rukia," he acknowledged. "Have you made the necessary preparations?"

"I have, nii-sama. I sent word to Urahara that we would be making our arrival in the training cavern below his shop shortly after 11:30 and that he should have my gigai and Ichigo's body ready and waiting."

"Good. And what time will you be returning to the manor?"

"I-I don't know. Yoruichi and Kuukaku told me they had planned to keep him for six to eight hours, but I heard that Kasumi-Ouji Akame kept him for more than twelve hours yesterday. I guess we will return sometime after dinner this evening."

Byakuya nodded his approval and turned to walk out of the room.

"Byakuya nii-sama?" she called, causing him to stop and pivot to face her.

Rukia bowed deeply and said "Thank you for choosing me, and for respecting my feelings. No matter what happens today I will make you proud."

To Rukia's surprise, Byakuya faced her and returned the bow, in part to hide the emotions that struggled for control of his normally impassive face. "You already have," he replied in a shaky voice she had never heard before. He straightened and turned quickly to leave for the 6th division and begin the day's work.

* * *

"Ichigo-dono," Amekaeru said, placing her hand in the middle of his back and shaking him vigorously. "Ichigo-dono, it is time to get up. You must get ready for your day with Kuchiki-san. You are supposed to meet her in an hour and a half!"

Ichigo pushed himself up onto his knees and rolled his head from side to side, trying to stretch out the stiffness. _"I must not have moved all night! My entire body feels as stiff as a board!" _he thought. "Amekaeru-san," Ichigo said as he shifted into a sitting position on the bed, "is Rukia really the last one? This feels like it's been going on forever."

"Yes, Ichigo-dono. By the luck of the draw, she was selected to be your last suitor." Amekaeru bowed and continued, "I apologize that you had to wait so long to spend time with her. Your father and I spoke at length about your relationship with Kuchiki Rukia-san. He informed me that the two of you were very close."

Ichigo smiled, "It's okay. Today I get the entire day with her," Ichigo's smile faltered and he hesitated before he finished, "but I'm still trying to figure out if this is something Byakuya put her up to or if this is something that she wants."

"This?" Amekaeru asked, though she already knew how he would answer.

Ichigo thumped himself on the chest with his open hand and looked up into her eyes. "This," he said, then pointed at her, "and this. All of this! Rukia and I have always been very close. It's hard not to be close with someone who literally shared a part of their soul with you the first time you met them, but we never really talked about anything like this." He chuckled, unable to contain his amusement, "Hell, we weren't even dating. I don't know what she's thinking about this situation yet, and until I find out I'm not going to pressure her."

"Is she not the one you would choose, Ichigo-dono?"

"Absolutely," Ichigo answered, standing up from the bed, "but only if she feels the same way."

Amekaeru bowed her head slightly as he passed her on his way to take a shower. _"I hope things work out for you, Ichigo-dono," _she thought, laying out fresh clothes for him to change into, _"and I believe they will."_

* * *

Ichigo stepped out the gate of the 8th division at eleven o'clock on the dot to make sure he had plenty of time to reach his destination. "Why in the world is my stomach tied in knots this morning?" he mumbled aloud after walking for a while, "It's just Rukia for crying out loud!"

"Talking to yourself, now, Ichigo?" he heard a familiar voice say. "That's not a good sign."

"Renji!" he said, surprised that he was so lost in his own thoughts that he'd nearly run over the man.

"So, it's just Rukia, is it? And here I thought you had kind of a thing for her. Hmph." he said with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ichigo could feel the color rising in his cheeks and the hair on the back of his neck bristling. "Renji," he said in a low growl, "don't make me have to hurt you today."

"Why's that, Ichigo?" Renji taunted, "something special about today? I thought it was just Rukia?"

Ichigo reached back and closed his hand on the hilt of his zanpakuto, just as Kuchiki Byakuya stepped out of the 6th division's office and fixed Renji with an icy glare. "Abarai-fuku-taichou," he said, causing Renji's smug expression to melt as he slowly turned to face Byakuya.

"Yes, taichou?"

"Do you not have some work to do?"

"Y-yes, sir," Renji stammered, taking off at a brisk walk to resume his duties.

Ichigo released his hold on Zangetsu but remained ready for the confrontation he felt sure was coming. "Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya began

"Yeah," he replied.

"Do you not also have somewhere you are supposed to be?"

"Yeah," he said turning to start walking again, "I was on my way, actually."

"I suggest you continue on your way, then," Byakuya replied, his tone of voice making the suggestion sound more like an order.

Ichigo stole a glance at his watch: 11:15. "Shit," he cursed and took off as fast as he could shunpo, "thanks Renji!"

* * *

Rukia stood in her quarters fidgeting with her hair one last time. She had tried to take her time finishing her breakfast, in an effort to calm the butterflies in her stomach, but ended up making them flutter worse. _"It's just Ichigo," _she thought to herself as she made her way through the manor toward the courtyard that contained the family's private senkai gate. _"I've spent a lot, and I mean __a__lot__ of time with him over the past few years. Why should this be any different?"_

She took a deep breath as she entered the courtyard and addressed the servants standing by the gate, "Is everything ready?"

"It is, Rukia-sama," they replied.

"Good," she said, taking a deep breath,"our guest should be here any minute now."

* * *

Akame was half-asleep and nearly jumped up the tree as she heard Ichigo's voice outside the gates of the Kuchiki manor. "Dammit, Renji! 11:29! I'm going to kill you!" She peeked around the base of the tree to see the gates opening in front of him and a Kuchiki family servant stepping out.

"_How uncouth can one person be?"_ Akame thought, _"First making him come to her and then not even having the courtesy to meet him herself?!"_

"Kurosaki Ichigo-dono?", the servant asked him with a bow.

"Yeah," he replied. "Where's Rukia?"

"Rukia-sama has asked that I escort you to meet her at the senkai gate," she replied.

"Senkai...? Are you serious?", Ichigo asked.

The servant nodded and motioned for him to follow her inside.

"Senkai gate?" Akame whispered, "So that's why she had him meet her here! Then that means she's taking him to the living world!" She took off at a dead run, headed for the Kasumi-Ouji manor. _"I'm sorry, Lurichiyo-sama," _she thought, _"but I have to follow them, and I don't have time to ask your permission. Forgive me for my boldness, but it's for the glory of the Kasumi-Ouji!"_

_

* * *

_

Ichigo followed the servant across the massive grounds, down corridor after corridor until they finally arrived in the courtyard where Rukia stood waiting for them. Seeing her dressed in her familiar shihakusho with Sode no Shirayuki at her side gave Ichigo a peaceful feeling. "Hey, midget," he said as he walked up to her with a grin.

"Long time, no see, strawberry," she said, returning his smile.

The elderly servant in charge of the gate cleared his throat. "Are you ready, Rukia-sama?"

Rukia looked at Ichigo, a shiver running up her spine as violet eyes met amber for a split second before he nodded. "Yes," she replied, turning back to the servant, "open the gate."

The great doors slid open and she walked into the severing world. She got three or four steps in before realizing Ichigo wasn't with her. She turned to find him staring after her with an odd look on his face. "Oi, Ichigo! Are you coming?"

"Huh?" he replied, shaking himself out of his stupor, "Y-yeah!" Afraid he might be tempted to stop and stare at her again, he ran through the gate and quickly passed her. "Oi, Rukia!" he teased, "are you coming?"

"_Yeah, I can do this. It's just Ichigo,"_ Rukia thought as she chased after him.

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia emerged from the fair end of the senkai gate into the training area under Urahara's shop. "What the...?" Ichigo gasped, looking around.

"Surprise!" Rukia said softly, gesturing ahead to where Urahara and Tessai stood, holding Rukia's gigai and Ichigo's recently vacated body.

"Welcome home, Kurosaki-san," Urahara said with a grin.

"Yeah, thanks," Ichigo replied, turning to face Rukia who was already inside of her gigai. "When did you...? How did you...?" he stammered, trying to make sense of it all.

Rukia blushed slightly. "I thought you might like to spend our day somewhere more familiar," she said, "so nii-sama helped me make the necessary preparations and allowed me to use the Kuchiki family's senkai gate."

"Byakuya," Ichigo said under his breath, "I owe you big time for this one."

"Well," Rukia huffed, "aren't you ready yet? You can't go walking around Karakura looking like that!"

"Wait," he said, halfway into his body, "what if we see somebody we know? Everybody probably thinks I just disappeared!"

"Relax, Kurosaki-san," Urahara answered, "we've modified the memory of everyone who didn't already know about your...circumstances. In short, your friends and family know where you've been, everybody else thinks you're going to a university overseas."

Ichigo finished getting into his body and took a deep breath. "Thanks for taking care of that," he said, flexing muscles that hadn't been used in days.

Urahara waved him off as he and Rukia began walking toward the ladder that led up into the shop. "Young love, eh Tessai-san?"

Tessai grunted his agreement as Rukia shot a death glare over her shoulder at the two, causing Urahara to roar with laughter. "Have a good time, you two!" he called as they climbed the ladder and disappeared from view.

Ichigo and Rukia stepped out the front door of Urahara's shop into the bright spring sunlight. After blinking a few times until their eyes adjusted, Ichigo turned to Rukia and asked, "So. What do you want to do?"

"Well," she said slowly, "I was thinking maybe we could go shopping before lunch? There's that bookstore you like that's pretty close."

Ichigo nodded. "Sounds good to me," he said, "I've been needing to pick something up for a few weeks now."

When they arrived at the bookstore, they went their separate ways: Rukia drifting through the manga while Ichigo made a beeline for his favorite section and quickly selected a hardbound copy of Shakespeare's sonnets to replace the soft cover edition he had packed when he left home. _"That copy was missing pages and the binding was getting weak,_" he thought, _"maybe this one will last for a while."_

Rukia came around the corner with the latest volume of her favorite horror manga in hand and stole a glance at Ichigo while he randomly flipped through the book in his hand. "What's that?" she asked, leaning in to get a better look.

"Shakespeare!" he replied, "My copy of the sonnets is falling apart."

"Sonnets? What's a sonnet?" Rukia asked. "I read the copies of his plays you had on your shelf when I first came to the living world, but I've never heard of this one."

"It's not a play, it's...here," he paused, thumbing through until he found his favorite sonnet and began to read aloud:

"**When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see, for all the day they view things unrespected;**

**But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee, and darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.**

**Then thou whose shadow shadows doth make bright, how would thy shadow's form happy show to the clear day with thy much clearer light, when to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!**

**How would, I say, mine eyes be blessed made by looking on thee in the living day, when in dead night thy fair imperfect shade through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay!**

**All days are nights to see till I see thee, and nights bright days when dreams do show thee me."**

_**Author's Note: Shakespeare's 43rd Sonnet**_

Rukia wrinkled her nose. "I always have a hard time getting through the old language. What's it about?" she asked

"What's it about?!" Ichigo exclaimed, "It's a man talking about how beautiful the woman he loves is! It's about how she brings light into his darkness."

"Oh," Rukia blushed, "it's beautiful."

As they walked together to the checkout, Ichigo caught sight of a familiar rabbit in a store window across the street. He squinted to see it as he dug in his wallet. "Hey, Rukia," he said, pointing, "when we get done in here, do you want to go over there?"

Rukia looked in the direction he was pointing and squealed, "Chappy!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Apparently there's some kind of sale going on over there."

As soon as she had paid for their books she grabbed Ichigo's arm and half-dragged him across the street .

* * *

Without a gigai of her own, Akame knew the only people she needed to hide from were Ichigo and Rukia. Since they had no idea they had been followed, it was easy for Akame to hide behind a mailbox across the street. She couldn't hear what was said, but saw Ichigo roll his eyes just before Rukia grabbed his arm and led him toward her hiding place. _"I'll bet she has been dragging him around like that since he arrived at the Kuchiki manor," _Akame thought, _"so I guess it's no surprise he doesn't look like he's having a good time with her. Serves her right!"_ She slid around the mailbox to get a better view of what was going on inside the store.

* * *

Ichigo couldn't help but smile. Rukia was acting like a kid in a candy store as she browsed through the shelves and shelves of Chappy themed items. Ichigo doubled over laughing as she put on a pair of Chappy ears and turned to look at him. "Cute," he gasped, trying to catch his breath. This brought an immediate scowl to her face and she put a matching pair on his head, squashing his spiky orange locks.

"There," she said, her scowl melting into a smirk, "now you're 'cute' too."

"Thanks," he growled, pulling the ears off and tossing them back onto the shelf. "Are you going to pick something out or am I going to have to do it for you?"

"I'll take...let's see....THIS!" she said, reaching out and snatching up a plush Chappy from the shelf.

Ichigo calmly pried her fingers off the stuffed bunny. "Oi! Ichigo, what the hell are you doing!" she cried in protest as he made his way to the clerk and paid for it, allowing her to put it into a pink plastic bag with the store's logo on it.

"Dammit, Ichigo!" she yelled as she followed him out the door, "I could have paid for that!"

"Listen," he yelled, then more dropping his voice, "is today a date or not?"

"Y-yeah," she replied, her face turning pink, "I guess so."

"You paid for my book, so let me get this, okay?"

"Still arguing, I see. Some things never change," Mizuiro said from behind him, "how have you been, Ichigo?"

"Okay, I guess," Ichigo replied.

"I-CHI-GOO!" Keigo interrupted, causing Ichigo to jerk reflexively and punch him in the head.

Mizuiro laughed. "As I said, some things never change."

"Guess not," Ichigo said, chuckling.

Keigo jumped to his feet and looked back and forth between Ichigo and Rukia, then down at the pair of Chappy ears sticking up from the bag between them. "Are you and Kuchiki-san out on a....date?" he asked with tears in his eyes, finally putting the pieces together.

Ichigo and Rukia both looked away, not wanting to answer the question. Finally, Rukia said, "We were just out doing some shopping."

"Ah," Mizuiro said, taking Keigo firmly by the arm and leading him away, "well, don't let us stop you. Have fun!"

"Thanks," Ichigo mumbled before turning back to Rukia. "So, what's next?"

"Well, do you feel like getting some lunch?" she asked.

"Sounds good."

* * *

Akame had bristled with anger as she watched Rukia put the Chappy ears on Ichigo's head. _"How dare she be so forward with him!"_ she thought. The wind was blowing when they emerged from the store, so she couldn't make out what they were saying but could hear Rukia raising her voice in anger and Ichigo yelling back at her. _"First she drags him around, now she is __yelling__ at him? Why is he just standing there and taking that from her! Why isn't he just leaving her and returning to Soul Society?"_ she thought as a wave of confusion rushed through her mind. _"He must be a very patient man,"_ she thought. Just then, the wind died and she could clearly hear Rukia ask him about lunch. Akame smiled to herself. _"Just __one__ little push,"_ she thought, _"that's all it should take to get him upset enough to walk away from her."_

_

* * *

_

"What do you feel like having?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, I thought since you've been stuck in Soul Society for the past four days you might enjoy something simple."

"As long as it's not tuna salad, I'm game," Ichigo said with a shudder, thinking back to his 'dates' with Yoruichi and Kuukaku.

Rukia looked at him like he had horns growing from his head and said, "No, actually, I was thinking more along the lines of going to the mall, grabbing something from the food court, then maybe catching a movie?"

Ichigo's mouth watered at the thought of greasy food court fare. "Yeah, I could go for that."

The pair walked toward the mall, Rukia falling in step beside Ichigo as she'd done so many times before. _"Something about this just feels...right,"_ Ichigo thought with a sigh. _"I've really missed getting to spend time with her this week."_ He felt her hand brush up against his as she stepped closer to avoid an oncoming bicycle and his cheeks flushed hotly at the physical contact. He glanced over at her and saw a matching blush on her cheeks as well. She looked up at him just as he looked away again and said "What?"

"Huh? Nothing," he said, "looks like we're here."

They navigated their way through the crowds of people moving from store to store until they found themselves an open area surrounded by a dozen or so restaurants and several small groups of tables. "What do you feel like eating?" Rukia asked, gesturing around at the options.

"Hmmm," Ichigo said, surveying the possibilities, "I'm in the mood for pizza."

"That sounds pretty good," she said, nodding appreciatively and heading for the pizza vendor. "Grab us a table, and I'll go get it."

"Sure," Ichigo replied, making a mental note that he'd have to repay her for the pizza, too.

* * *

Akame was doing her best to blend into the crowd, but snorted with disgust at their choice of lunch. _"What kind of self-respecting noblewoman would eat such common food! And to be getting it herself! Where are her servants?" _she thought to herself, watching as Rukia ordered and paid for two large slices of pizza. _"A little push," _she thought to herself, stepping through the crowd to sneak up behind Rukia, _"that's all it will take!" _As they got closer and she caught sight of Ichigo sitting at a table, she took a deep breath, put both hands in the center of Rukia's back and gave a hard shove. The raven-haired shinigami cried out as she tripped, sending the plate carrying the pizza sailing through the air.

* * *

"I-CHI-GOOO!" cried Keigo, ducking under Ichigo's outstretched fist to sit at the table next to him.

"What, Keigo?" Ichigo sighed as he scanned the faces of the crowd for Rukia.

"How's it going? With you and Kuchiki-san?"

Ichigo caught sight of his date weaving her way through the crowd toward him. "It's going...normally," Ichigo replied after a moment's thought.

"Normally? What's that supposed to...," Keigo was cut off by the sound of Rukia crying out in surprise and as he turned to look he caught the plate of pizza right in the face. "Ahhhhhh!" he screamed as he tried to remove the molten cheese and sauce that was burning his face.

"Oh, Asano-san!" Rukia said, rushing over with a handful of napkins. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened, I was walking along and just...tripped!"

"Don't worry about him, Kuchiki-san," Mizuiro said as he walked up, "I've seen him survive worse than that." He turned to Keigo, "I leave you alone for five minutes, and look what happens! Come on, Asano-san, let's get you to the bathroom so you can finish cleaning your face up."

"So formal!" Keigo bawled as he was led away.

"See you guys later," Mizuiro said with a wink, "have fun."

"Why don't you let me go this time?" Ichigo said to Rukia, standing up.

Rukia smiled up at him and nodded gratefully. Somebody had obviously just bumped against her, but they had hit her hard enough to leave a sore spot. She reached around and rubbed her back while Ichigo fought his way through the crowd and made his way toward the pizza vendor. She lost sight of him for a moment and when she found him again he was already walking her way with fresh pizza in hand.

"Here," he said, offering her the choice of the two slices.

"Thanks," she said as she took a bite of the larger slice.

"Anytime," he replied before sinking his teeth into his own.

* * *

Akame watched from a nearby table, taking it all in. _"Stupid boy," _she thought, _"if he hadn't been in the way, that pizza would have hit Kurosaki-san right in the face. Then he would have seen through her and finally discovered that she's not the 'lady' he thinks she is!"_ She made up her mind to wait it out and see if another opportunity presented itself.

"Rukia," Ichigo began, "I think I want some ice cream. Do you want some?"

"Sure," she said, finishing her last bite of pizza, "strawberry."

"Please don't call me that," he said, a vein bulging in his temple as he stood up.

"I wasn't calling you anything," Rukia laughed, "I want strawberry ice cream!"

"Oh," Ichigo said, turning away to hide the color rising in his cheeks, "all right."

"_Perfect," _Akame thought, _"this will be easy."_

Ichigo returned from the ice cream shop with two cones: strawberry and chocolate. He handed Rukia the strawberry and sat down, watching her eat. She had her elbow resting on the table and was lazily licking around the top of the cone. It wasn't until a drip of his own ice cream started to run down his knuckle that he realized he'd been staring. He licked the melting ice cream from his hand and began to eat his cone, sneaking the occasional glance at Rukia.

While they were eating, Akame had pressed through the crowd until she was up against the back of Rukia's chair. _"Now!"_ she thought. As Rukia leaned forward to take another lick, Akame bumped the back of her chair, causing her nose to end up in the ice cream. Rukia turned to see who had bumped her, but Akame had disappeared into the crowd again. She turned back to face Ichigo, who was grinning uncontrollably at the pea-sized drop of ice cream on the end of her nose.

"What?" she asked, brows furrowing with aggravation.

Ichigo reached out with his thumb, wiped the ice cream from her nose, and without thinking, put his thumb in his mouth to get the ice cream off.

Rukia blushed crimson, though she didn't know which embarrassed her more: the fact that she had ice cream on her face, or the way Ichigo took care of it. "Th-thanks," she stammered.

"So," Ichigo tried changing the subject, "what movie were you wanting to see?"

"I don't know," she said, "I figured we'd just pick something when we got there. A comedy, maybe?"

Ichigo just nodded and finished the last bite of his ice cream cone. _"I can't believe I just did that!" _he thought, _"Cleaning ice cream off of her face like that...what the hell was I thinking!"_

"Ichigo. ICHIGO!" Rukia called.

"What?" he said, irritated at being jerked back to reality.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah," he said, "sorry. Just got a little distracted."

* * *

Akame stood outside the movie theater, looking over the choices for the matinée showings. As she did she noticed a familiar looking rabbit staring out at her from one of the posters. _"That's that rabbit that Kuchiki dragged Kurosaki-san to buy," _she thought, _"but he did not seem happy about it for some reason. Perhaps if he had to sit through one of these movies with the rabbit...but how can I make sure that happens?"_

"Excuse me," she heard as she felt a gentle tapping on her shoulder. Standing behind her was a dark haired man with glasses holding hands with an auburn-haired woman.

"Yes?" she replied as she turned to face them.

"Are you lost? You look like you're dressed for a festival."

"Uh, I just came from one actually," she lied, "I'm just, uh, trying to pick out a movie."

"Oh!" the woman exclaimed, "That's a good idea! Uryuu, let's go see a movie!"

Uryuu adjusted his glasses and sighed. "Orihime," he began, "we don't..."

"Please?" Orihime purred into his ear, causing him to blush.

"Uh, okay," he nodded farewell at Akame and the couple walked over to the ticket counter.

"_How could they see me?" _Akame thought in a panic. _"I'm a soul without a gigai. No one in this world should be able to see me unless they..."_ Her eyes widened as she recognized the boy from the play she'd watched with Ichigo. _"That man was Ishida Uryuu," _she thought, _"one of the Ryoka who came with Kurosaki-san. And that woman...she was one of them, too! Not to mention I'm not dressed like they are! I'll have to be more careful or I'm going to get caught!"_

Akame waited until they were done speaking to the ticket clerk before walking boldly into the theater unnoticed. _"They will watch the rabbit movie," _she thought, _"if it's the only movie left to watch."_ She opened the door to the first projection room and took a pair of scissors from the table. In just a few minutes she had cut every film in the theater to ribbons except one. _"He will be so miserable after sitting through that movie, he will want to return to Soul Society!"_ she thought as she snuck down into the auditorium to watch his reaction.

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia walked up on a crowd of angry moviegoers when they arrived at the theater. They shouldered their way close enough to hear the manager saying, "Look, I don't know what happened, but every single film we had has been destroyed except one. It will be tomorrow before we can get replacements shipped to us. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, and hope that you'll visit us again in the future."

Ichigo, who found himself in the front row, touched the manager's sleeve as the crowd dispersed. "Excuse me," he said.

"Yes, sir?"

"What's the one movie that survived?"

The manager rolled his eyes. "I doubt it's anything you'd be interested in, young man: The Chappy Movie."

"Did you say...?", Ichigo began before wincing in pain.

"CHAPPY!" Rukia cried, digging her fingers into his arm to silence him.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. He walked up to the bored-looking clerk and purchased a pair of tickets for the next showing, due to start in twenty minutes.

"Kurosaki-kun! Kuchiki-san!"

"Orihime! Ishida!" Rukia called back as they approached. "How are you?"

"Good," Orihime answered before whispering excitedly in Rukia's ear, "Uryuu and I are on a date!"

"Really?"

Orihime nodded. "He's taking me to see the Chappy movie, but I doubt we'll see very much of it." She winked, and looked over her shoulder at Ishida, who was busy catching up with Ichigo.

"Are you and Kuchiki-san out on a date, too, Kurosaki?"

"Well...not exactly," he replied.

Ishida pushed his glasses up his nose. "What do you mean, 'not exactly'?"

Ichigo quickly explained the situation in hushed tones, watching Ishida's eyes get wider and wider as he described the three days of hell he'd endured thus far. "They put you through all that?" Ishida asked.

"Yeah," he sighed, "so today it's finally Rukia's turn."

"Finally, huh?" Ishida smirked. "How's it been so far?"

Ichigo grinned and opened his mouth to answer when he was interrupted by an elbow to the ribs. "Oi, Ichigo!" Rukia said, "It's time to go in."

"Okay," Ichigo said, "let's go."

The four friends walked in and sat down a few rows apart, and Ichigo looked around the theater. He, Rukia, Ishida, and Orihime were the only adults in the room who weren't there escorting young children. He sighed as the lights dimmed and the previews started to roll. He noticed Rukia sitting very still and turned his head to look at her, amused by how completely focused on the show she was. A smile spread across his face as the actual movie started and Rukia entered a trance-like state, cheering with the children at Chappy's first appearance. _"Chappy or not, Rukia's happy, and that makes me happy, too. It's nice to just be normal people on a normal date for a little while," _he thought.

* * *

Akame shifted slightly from her position in the front corner of the theater and scanned through the crowd, searching for Ichigo. Her gaze first landed on Ishida and Orihime who were near the back of the theater holding one another close. Then a couple of rows of families with children, but then...there! What she saw made her blood boil: Ichigo watching Rukia instead of the movie, totally enthralled by her reactions to what was happening onscreen. _"If he likes __what he sees so much, what will happen if he __can't__ see it?"_ she thought as she stomped up the aisle and out the back door of the theater.

* * *

Out of the corner of his eye Ichigo caught a flash of a blond braid swinging as someone marched out the door behind them. He turned to see who it was but couldn't make out her face before the door shut. He shifted in his seat to focus on the movie, still stealing occasional glances at Rukia. The film built to it's climax: the evil Doctor Porcupine was throwing his quills at Chappy. The children (and Rukia) were all cheering for the brave little bunny. Ichigo rolled his eyes and thought _"Typical kid's movie. We all know he's going to be fine!"_. Just as Chappy leapt toward the villain, everything went black. The children in the theater started screaming, scared of the dark, and Ichigo felt someone grasping at his arm.

"Ichigo," he heard Rukia whisper, "are you there?"

"I'm right here, Rukia," he said, pulling his arm back slightly so her hand could find his. He cupped her tiny fingers in his hand and squeezed gently. "See? I'm not going anywhere."

She squeezed his hand tightly and he could hear her breathing slowly returning to normal.

"Are you okay now?" he asked.

"Fine," she replied in a shaky voice.

"You're not scared of the dark are you?", he teased.

"No!" she hissed, "Just got a little disoriented when the lights went out. I'm fine."

"_If she really was 'fine', she'd probably be punching me in the head for taking advantage of the situation and holding her hand right now,"_ he thought. As he sat silently in the dark, feeling her pulse in his own slightly damp palm, it suddenly occurred to him, _"Maybe she's just nervous because I'm holding her hand. It __is__ a little strange, but I could sit here like this forever."_

Rukia could feel Ichigo's palm starting to sweat a little but made no move to let go of his hand. She could feel all the tiny rough patches on his hands, but instead of irritation, they brought her comfort. _"This is nice," _she thought as she felt him squeeze her hand again. She squeezed him back, and was enjoying their silent communion when all of a sudden the movie came back on, and the children who had been sobbing a moment ago started cheering. _"Well, so much for that," _Rukia thought, but Ichigo never released her hand. Instead he began slowly moving his thumb in circles on the back of her hand, sending shivers up her arm.

* * *

Akame was walking back toward the auditorium from the utility closet when the lights came back on over head and she heard a cheer go up inside the theater. She picked up her pace and dashed through the door just as a mother was leading her son out to use the bathroom. She crept down the outside aisle and sat down at the far end of the row above Ichigo and Rukia. She craned her neck to see their reaction to the 'power failure' and was shocked to see them holding hands. _"What!?" _she thought angrily, _"How dare she lay a hand on him!" _She sank down into her seat and stewed. _"What is it going to take to get him to give up on her! How long before he finally sees her for what she really is?" _As soon as the credits started, she jumped from her seat and ran out the door before she could be spotted.

* * *

Ichigo didn't let go of her hand until after the movie had ended and the crowd was standing up to leave. When he finally did let go of her, Rukia felt as though a part of her had just been cut off. She turned to look at him and saw a pained expression on his face that reflected her own feelings. "Ichigo," she breathed.

"What's up?" he replied with a smile. "Did you enjoy the movie?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," she said, looking at her feet to hide the blush on her face.

"Well?" he asked, as he motioned for her to move out into the aisle so they could leave. "What else did you want to do today?"

"Right now I just want to take a walk, you know? Stretch my legs a little bit."

"Sure," Ichigo replied, "let's go."

They said goodbye to a disheveled looking Ishida and Orihime at the theater entrance and started walking toward the city park. "Obviously those two took advantage of the power outage," Ichigo said, eliciting a laugh from Rukia.

"Yeah," she said with a smile, "they seem really happy together. I'm happy for them, too."

"Come on, Rukia," Ichigo said with a smirk, "you're just amazed Ishida actually got a girlfriend."

Rukia covered her mouth and put on her best innocent schoolgirl act as she said, "Kurosaki-kun! Ishida-kun is supposed to be your friend, and here you are saying something like that about him? I'm shocked!"

Ichigo turned, his trademark scowl creasing his brow, to see Rukia standing there with her hands on her hips, wearing a huge grin. "You're bad, Rukia," he said, shaking his head and walking past her to hide the smile that was forming on his own lips.

"Oh, come on, Ichigo!" she said, jogging a couple of steps to catch up with him, "I'm just glad he finally got up the courage to confess to her. He's been in love with her for years!"

"_Why does that story sound so familiar?" _they both thought, looking at their feet.

"Ichi-nii! Rukia-nee!"

Ichigo looked up to see Yuzu and Karin running toward them from the entrance of the park. "Yuzu! Karin!" he exclaimed as they wrapped him in a giant hug.

"Nee-san!" he heard as a yellow blur shot over his shoulder toward Rukia.

"Dammit, Kon!" she cried, swatting him out of the air and stomping on his head repeatedly. "How many times do I have to tell you about that? Leave me alone!"

"That's my nee-san!" Kon croaked as Yuzu bent down to pick him up and return him to her backpack.

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon, Rukia!" Karin said, giving the raven-haired shinigami a quick hug. "How have you been?"

"Fine," she said.

"Rukia-nee!" Yuzu cried, jumping up to grab her hand, "I saw my first ghost the other day! Did Ichigo tell you?"

"No, Yuzu," Rukia replied, caught up in the excitement now ,"he hasn't had the chance, but I'd love to hear about it!"

* * *

From her hiding spot just inside the park entrance, Akame heard Yuzu and Karin's greetings. _"Sisters? I had no idea Kurosaki-san had any family,"_ she thought. She continued to observe, noting with considerable frustration the sisterly way Kuchiki was talking with the girls. _"She is talking so casually with them, as though they were her equals, her family! Even more worrisome, they are treating her the same way...like she belongs with them." _She fingered the small package hidden in a fold of her kimono. _"The time may be coming for me to play my trump card,"_ she thought, _"but not just yet."_

* * *

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Ichigo asked his sisters. "You're not exactly dressed for a soccer game or anything."

"Well," Karin answered, "actually, we're here to see Sado's band. They are putting on a special fundraiser concert in about twenty minutes. The cost of the tickets goes to help preserve and maintain the path along the river."

"Really?" Ichigo asked, memories drifting into his mind of walking along that path his his mother, then later with his friends before their assault on Soul Society.

"Yeah," Karin said, glancing at Yuzu who nodded. "We've got some pretty good tickets, actually, if you two want them."

"N-no!" Rukia said, waving her arms back and forth between them. "You girls should go and have fun! Right, Ichigo?"

"Absolutely! Seriously, you two, go on!" Ichigo said, "We've got other stuff to do, anyway, right?"

"Well...," Rukia replied, shuffling her feet.

"Hey, Ichigo," a familiar voice said behind him.

"Chad!" Ichigo exclaimed, turning around to clasp his friend's hand. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Did you want to come see the show? I have some extra tickets here."

"Really?!" Ichigo asked excitedly, looking back at Rukia who shrugged.

"Sure," Chad replied as he pulled the tickets from his pocket, "right in the front row if you want them."

"Thank you, Sado-kun," Rukia said, taking the offered tickets, "but shouldn't we all get going if the concert will be starting soon?"

* * *

Chad hurried up the backstage steps and gathered the members of his band together. "I want to do the slow songs tonight," he said.

"The slow ones?" his drummer asked, "The three we've been working on?"

"Yeah," Chad answered with a nod. "I've got a couple of friends in the audience who are on a date."

The other band members began nodding to show they understood what he was thinking. "Thanks," Chad said, picking up his guitar.

* * *

Ichigo took Rukia's hand so they wouldn't get separated and led her down through the gathered crowd to the front row. He counted seats and whistled through his teeth. "These are some nice seats," he said over his shoulder, reluctantly letting go of her hand, "we'll have to thank Chad later!" Rukia only nodded, barely able to hear him over the chattering people that surrounded them.

The curtain rose and Ichigo saw the bassist, Aizawa Tomoya, pick up the microphone. "Thank you all for coming out this evening to support the community's effort to keep the riverwalk a clean and beautiful place for everyone to enjoy! Now, sit back and enjoy the music!"

The drummer counted off and the band began to play, and even Ichigo found himself tapping his foot in time with the music. After they finished playing the fifth song and the applause died down, Tomoya stepped up to the microphone again.

"As the sun sets there behind us," he pointed, "we would like to dedicate our next three songs to a very special couple. They are here together tonight as guests and very dear friends of one of our band members. These are the only three slow dance songs our band has ever written, so enjoy the dances with someone you love." With that, Tomoya returned the microphone to the stand and nodded at Chad, who began to play softly.

Surrounded by men and women standing up to dance, Ichigo stood and gave an exaggerated bowed to Rukia, extending his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Rukia blushed and took his hand, putting on her best innocent schoolgirl voice. "Yes," she answered as she rose from her seat.

Ichigo drew her close and allowed his hands to rest on the small of her back as the band played a beautiful melody. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest, listening to his heart pounding. She took a deep breath, drinking in the scent of him and sighed. He looked down at her, watching her body sway in time with his. _"I'm going to have to find a way to thank Chad for this,"_ Ichigo thought as Rukia looked up into his eyes with a smile. Violet met amber and Ichigo felt a tingling sensation throughout his body, and an avalanche of thoughts filled his mind: _"There's no way this is just something Byakuya put her up to. She isn't just going through the motions. This is real. Really real."_ He squeezed her tight and returned her smile, seeing his feelings reflected in her eyes.

* * *

Akame stood behind a tree, watching the couple move and sway to the music. As the first song ended, she watched Ichigo smile down at Rukia and without thinking her fingers closed on the tiny package she'd been hiding. She pulled it out absently and was playing with it as the band began to play the second song. _"They didn't even part from one another between songs,"_ she thought, _"at this rate, Kuchiki is going to beat me for sure."_ She held the package in front of her and snapped it in half, the contents dissipating into the air. "I am sorry, Kurosaki-san," she whispered, "but this is the only way..."

* * *

Ichigo felt Rukia stiffen against him midway through the second song. "What's wrong," he asked a split second before he heard it: the howl of a hollow. "Oh, not now," he moaned. Rukia pulled away and reached into her pocket for her Soul Candy. "Wait, Rukia," Ichigo said, touching her arm to stop her from pulling it out. "where are Yuzu and Karin?"

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't have my substitute shinigami badge, so I have to find Kon. Now, where are they?" he answered, scanning the crowd until he saw Karin looking directly at him from four rows back. "Need help?" she mouthed at him. He nodded at her and worked his way through the crowd, watching as she dug through Yuzu's backpack to pull Kon's plushy body out.

"Open wide, Kon," Ichigo said with a grimace as he took the plushy from Karin.

"Wait! What are you...aaarrghh!" Kon gagged as Ichigo dug his fingers into Kon's mouth, hunting the pill containing the mod soul. He retrieved it and swallowed it, allowing it force his soul from his body. "Kon," Ichigo said, "I expect you to behave yourself. We'll be back as quick as we can."

"Whatever," he replied, waving Ichigo off and mumbling, "stupid shinigami, sticking his dirty fingers down my throat."

"And you," Rukia said, addressing the substitute soul in her gigai, "make sure he behaves."

"Pyon!" she replied happily.

"Which way?" Ichigo asked, confident that his partner already had that much figured out.

"This way!" she said as she shunpoed away with him close behind her.

"_Good luck," _Chad thought from the stage as he watched them leave. He had felt the hollow's reiatsu but couldn't stop playing to go help them. He sighed as he looked down at the two substitute souls sharing what should have been Ichigo and Rukia's last dance.

In the distance, they could hear the band playing the last of their slow songs as they took up their positions on either side of the hollow. Just as Ichigo was about to swing Zangetsu through the hollow's mask, he heard Rukia cry "Ichigo! Behind you!" He dodged as a second hollow brought it's claw through the place he had just been standing and Rukia stepped past him to strike it down. He traded positions with her to take out the first hollow and flashed a grin at her.

"Well, that's that," he said. _"Shame these stupid hollows interrupted our dance, though,"_ he thought, _"I was really enjoying that."_

"ICHIGO!" Rukia shouted, snapping him out if it. He looked around to see at least a half dozen hollows surrounding them.

"You have got to be kidding me," Ichigo shouted back, "the last time we battled this many hollows at once was when Enryuu used that hollow bait!"

"Kill hollows now, kill whoever's fault this is later!" Rukia snapped as she brought Sode no Shirayuki around to cleave another hollow in half. _"They just keep coming!"_ she thought.

Ichigo and Rukia began a dance of death around the gathering hollows, using shunpo to move from target to target with perfect timing, never obstructing one another's path, the two shinigami moved as one, their attacks increasing in speed and ferocity as the number of hollows continued to rise.

Below them, still listening to the concert, Chappy and Kon had started dancing where Ichigo and Rukia left off. When the last slow song ended, though, Kon didn't want to let go. "Nee-san!" he sighed, leaning forward as though to bury his face in her bosom.

"They told you to behave, Kon!" Chappy warned as she stepped away.

"Aw, who asked you!" he pouted, sitting heavily in Ichigo's chair. "I hate it when he uses me like this," he complained.

"It's your job-pyon!" Chappy replied as she sat down next to him.

Kon put his arm around her, drawing her close to him. "Hey...wanna have some fun while they're away? We could...ow!"

Before he could even finish his lecherous suggestion, Chappy had him pinned to the floor, her foot in the middle of his back, with both arms held fast. "Rukia-sama told me to make sure you behaved-pyon!"she said, twisting his arms.

"Ahhh!" Kon cried, feeling his shoulders burning, ready to pop out of joint. _"Ichigo! Nee-san! Help!"_, he thought, _"Hurry up and save me from this maniac!"_

* * *

"Dammit, Rukia, they just keep coming!" Ichigo yelled, dispatching two hollows at once with Getsuga Tenshou.

"I know!" she screamed in frustration.

Finally, Ichigo's emotions got the better of him and Rukia heard him shout, "I'm tired of this! Bankai!"

Rukia brought her blade through the mask of the hollow in front of her and spun to locate a new target. Before making her next move, she took a moment to watch Ichigo's movements. She smiled as she found his pattern and began weaving in and out of his path, working at a slower pace, but completely in tune with him as she purified hollow after hollow. After just a few minutes, she could tell that they were beginning to make some headway, and within half an hour there were no more new hollows appearing.

"Oi! You there, shinigami! This is my territory!" a voice screamed from a nearby rooftop as Ichigo finished off the last of the hollows and appeared next to Rukia. They turned in unison to see an unfamiliar shinigami with an afro standing there pointing an accusing finger at them.

"What the hell?" Ichigo asked, "Oh, it's you. Who are you, again?"

"Who am I?! Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" the strange shinigami spat. "I am Kurumadani Zennosuke! I was chosen to replace Kuchiki Rukia as the shinigami responsible for Karakura town!"

"Really?" Ichigo said with a glance at Rukia that clearly indicated he wasn't impressed.

"Yes, really! I don't know who you think you are, barging in here and doing my job again! I'm responsible for this area and I...," Zennosuke's rant was cut short as Ichigo and Rukia's punches connected with his jaw in perfect unison.

"God, what an annoying guy," Ichigo sighed, jumping down to the street.

"Tell me about it," Rukia replied as she followed him, "and he's supposed to be my replacement."

* * *

Akame was watching the whole battle from the street and was amazed at the way Ichigo and Rukia were working together without ever having to speak. When one of them moved one way, the other would move the opposite direction, their zanpakuto's passing in mid-swing but never colliding. _"How are they doing this? They're fighting like two halves of a whole," _she thought glumly, _"and what's worse is that they are acting like it's just another dance!"_ She began to think back over all she had seen since their arrival in the living world. _"It's obvious that he shares some kind of connection with her, but why? And why doesn't anything I do seem to be able to break it?!"_ She continued to watch until they had defeated the last hollow and used shunpo to return to the park below. _"Isn't there anything I can do to put a stop to this?" _she thought.

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia arrived back at the scene of the concert to find Chappy sitting on a nearby bench with Kon held in an arm-lock.

"Kon!" Ichigo yelled, "What the hell is going on here?"

"Ichigo! Nee-san! Get her off of me! All I did was...ahhh!" he trailed off into a cry of pain as Chappy tightened her grip.

"Rukia-sama, I did as you asked-pyon," she said, "I made Kon behave."

"You can let him go now," Rukia said, stifling a laugh.

As soon as he was free, Kon staggered to hide behind Rukia, but Ichigo caught him by the arm. "Kon," he growled, "so help me if my body is the least bit sore, I'm going to let Yuzu play with you before I go back to Soul Society."

A brief look of horror flashed on Kon's face before Ichigo evicted him from his body. Ichigo re-inserted the pill into Kon's plush body and started stretching his arms and legs. "Well?" Kon asked nervously.

"I guess Yuzu will have to live without you for now," Ichigo said.

"Awww," Yuzu said, walking up behind them with Karin in tow, "I was looking forward to a tea party with Bostov, too! Or maybe dressing him up?"

As Rukia stepped back into her gigai and returned Chappy to the Soul Candy container, Karin scooped Kon off of the bench and sat down. "Did you take care of the hollow?" she asked Rukia.

"Yeah, but there were a lot of them," Rukia answered. "It was like somebody had released hollow bait again."

Ichigo held up a hand at the twins' concerned looks. "Don't worry about it," he said, "we've already taken care of all the hollows. I don't expect there will be any more tonight."

With a sigh of relief, Yuzu stuffed Kon into her backpack. As she zipped him in, she caught sight of her watch. "Karin! It's after six! If we're not home in time for dinner, Dad's going to be mad!"

"Old goat-chin," Karin complained with a pointed look at Ichigo, "still wants everybody home and ready to eat by seven. You're lucky, Ichigo. At least you don't have to deal with it anymore."

Ichigo smirked and pulled his sisters into a hug. "I'll see you soon, okay? Tell Dad I said 'hey'."

"Yeah," Rukia said, "tell Isshin-san I said 'hi' too and I hope he's doing well!"

"Sure," Karin called over her shoulder as they started their walk home.

As Ichigo was waving goodbye to his sisters, Rukia noticed a small book lying on the ground. She picked it up and read the cover aloud, 'Kidou for Dummies: a pocket reference?' Ichigo, is this yours?"

Ichigo quickly grabbed the book out of her hands and stuck it back into his pocket. "Yeah," he said as the color rose in his cheeks, "it must have fell out of my pocket while...um...Chappy was keeping Kon in line."

"_Does he honestly want to learn kidou, or could he be...trying to impress me?"_ Rukia thought, smiling at how embarrassed he was. "You know, if you wanted to learn kidou I'd be happy to give you private lessons."

"Really?" he said, looking up to meet her eyes, "That would be great! I feel like I'm only half-trained, because I can't use even the most basic kidou spell. Thanks!"

"_Maybe it's a combination of the two," _she thought with a nod. "You're welcome," she replied. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving. You?"

"Yeah, I could eat," she said with a nod. "Let's go find some dinner."

* * *

Akame followed the pair out of the park and back through the shopping district, staying on the opposite side of the street in order to keep a safe distance. Thankfully, traffic was light enough that she could still hear what they were saying.

"What do you feel like having, Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"You mean you don't have this all planned out?" he replied with feigned shock.

She punched him in the shoulder, "No. Actually I don't. So, what'll it be?"

Ichigo surveyed his surroundings and noticed a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant half a block down from where Akame was hiding. "How about eating there?" he said, pointing to indicate his choice, "I hear they make a great curry."

"That sounds pretty good to me, too," she said, turning to cross the street at the nearest crosswalk.

"_I thought that disgusting lunch they had would be leading up to a grand dinner in a beautiful restaurant, or perhaps she would have had her servants prepare something back at her manor, but curry?!" _Akame thought, nearly gagging at the idea of tarnishing herself with something so common. She looked up to see Ichigo and Rukia entering the restaurant just in front of her. To avoid being noticed, she ducked down the alley. She wrinkled her nose at the garbage that surrounded her, but caught a sliver of light shining from an open door at the rear of the restaurant. Her eyes twinkled at the opportunity that had just presented itself as she snuck through the door and into the kitchen.

* * *

"I'll have the chicken curry special," Ichigo said, "and a sweet lassi, please."

"All right, and for you, miss?"

"That sounds pretty good," Rukia said, "I guess I'll have the same thing."

"Okay, should be ready in about...," the waiter trailed off as he heard an enormous crash coming from the kitchen. "I'll be right back." The waiter pushed open the kitchen door and Ichigo could see him arguing with someone before coming back to their table. "I'm sorry," he said, "but it seems we've had some kind of accident in the kitchen and almost all of our glassware and dishes have been destroyed."

"That's some accident!" Ichigo said in surprise, "Was anyone hurt?"

"No, no one was hurt, but I do not think we will have enough plates and glasses to fill your order."

Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other across the table, each thinking the same thing, _"I really had my heart set on this!"_

"However," the waiter began hesitantly.

"However?" Rukia asked, now curious as to what the waiter could building up to, "Go on!"

"However, the two of you seem to be here on a date, am I correct?"

"Yeah, that's right," Ichigo said with a glance at Rukia.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind sharing a plate and glass with the young lady, it would really help us out a lot."

Ichigo looked at Rukia, trying to gauge her reaction to the waiter's suggestion. "I don't mind," she said, "that is, if it's okay with you, Ichigo?"

Ichigo's face turned three shades of red at the thought of sharing a glass with Rukia. "I-I don't mind, either," he said to the waiter.

"Thank you!" the waiter said, bowing and hurrying back to the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later carrying one plate of chicken curry and one sweet lassi with two straws. "Enjoy!" he said, setting the food between them.

They picked up their chopsticks and began to eat, taking turns eating the rice and chicken. They sat in silence, just enjoying one another's company. _"I hate to admit it,"_ Ichigo thought, _"but I'm kind of glad they broke most of their dishes. This is nice." _Before long, they had finished everything but the last bite of chicken. Rukia reached for it, only to have Ichigo block her by jabbing his chopsticks down on the plate between them. She pulled back and changed her angle of attack, intending to come in behind him and grab the bite, but he was too quick. He deftly slid his chopsticks along the surface of the plate, blocking her again.

Rukia looked up his face, noting his playful smirk, and narrowed her eyes in irritation. Instead of pulling back this time, she twisted her hand, using her chopsticks to sweep his clear of the plate. Just as she was about to seize the last piece of chicken, he flipped the chopsticks in his hand and snatched it out of her grasp, holding it in the air between them. She gave him a hard look as she set her chopsticks down on the plate. "Ichigo," she began, "if you're not going to eat it..."

"Rukia, say 'ahhh'," he interrupted her, moving his chopsticks closer to her mouth.

Her face flushed crimson. _"Is he really doing this?" _she thought as she obediently opened her mouth and allowed him to place the tip of his chopsticks inside to deposit the chicken on her tongue. He removed them from her mouth and set them on the plate, looking away while she chewed. _"Holy shit, did I just do that?"_ he thought as he took a swallow of the lassi.

* * *

Akame's jaw dropped as she watched Ichigo feed Rukia. _"How? After everything that has happened to them today, they still end up closer than ever! How is this possible?!"_ she thought, unable to believe what she was seeing. She watched Ichigo pay the check and hold the door open for Rukia. She left the corner table she'd been sitting in and followed them at a distance. _"I do not understand this,"_ she thought, _"but perhaps fate will give me an opportunity to seize victory from the jaws of defeat!"_

_

* * *

_

Ichigo and Rukia walked out of the restaurant into the cool spring evening. Ichigo took a deep breath and sighed. _"Smells like rain,"_ he thought. "Hey, Rukia," he said, "do you want to take a walk?"

"Sure," she said, "where to?"

"I don't know. Anywhere, I guess," he said as he started walking

Rukia laughed and caught up with him quickly. "All right. Let's go."

They wandered the streets of Karakura aimlessly for nearly an hour, weaving in and out of familiar neighborhoods, pointing out places that were important to them, before Ichigo stopped on the bridge and pointed down at the river. The moon was peeking through a rare break in the clouds overhead, and reflecting off the water. "Beautiful," Rukia breathed, staring down at the water.

"Sure is," Ichigo whispered, though his eyes were focused on her instead of the reflection in the water.

"Well, well, if it isn't Kurosaki Ichigo," a tough-sounding voice said as he felt a strong hand clench his shoulder. He spun around, bringing his fists up, only to drop them with a laugh.

"Arisawa-san!" Rukia cried, turning to see who was interrupting them this time. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good. How about you two?"

Ichigo and Rukia glanced at each other, blushing slightly when their eyes met. "Good," Ichigo answered. "What have you been up to?"

"Same old, same old," Tatsuki replied with a shrug, "work, school, working out at the dojo. How's Soul Society been treating you?"

Ichigo froze. _"I've been so busy enjoying my time with Rukia I had forgotten why I was even here!"_ he thought in a panic. Rukia picked up on the sudden change in his bearing and answered Tatsuki's question for the both of them: "Okay, I guess. It's been hard the past few days, though."

"I can believe it," Tatsuki said with a laugh. She looked down at her watch. "Well, I've got to go. School in the morning, you know." She winked at Ichigo. "Have fun you two!"

"Thanks, Tatsuki," Ichigo said, finding his voice again. "You ready to go?" he asked Rukia, receiving a nod in reply.

Tatsuki stood on the bridge and watched her two friends walk away. _"Sheesh," _she thought, _"took them long enough to figure it out. Any moron could see the way they look at each other and figure out that they belong together, but I know there's more to it than that. When he's with her, Ichigo __smiles__. He smiles the way he used to. Even though he tries to hide it, every time he sees her, there's a tiny flash of the smile he wore before his mother died. It makes __me happy to see him like that. It's like the old Ichigo is back instead of that pitiful, grumpy excuse for a human being he was before Rukia came." _She laughed at that thought and started her long walk home as the moon ducked behind the clouds again. "Thank you, Rukia," she said as she stepped off the far end of the bridge, "for bringing Ichigo back to us."

* * *

Ichigo led Rukia down off the bridge and onto the path that ran beside the river as the moon emerged from the clouds again. She enjoyed walking close beside him, just listening to the comforting sound of his steady breathing. They walked in silence for over a mile before she stumbled over a rock and reached out and grabbed his arm to steady herself. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," she said, releasing her hold on him, "I'm fine."

They walked less than ten yards before Ichigo stopped in his tracks, and reached out to take her hand. "Rukia?"

"What?"

"Thanks. For today. For everything, really," he said, thankful the clouds were obstructing the moonlight so she couldn't see the color creeping into his face.

"You're welcome," she said, squeezing his hand. "I had a good time, too." A breeze ruffled her hair, and she sighed, detecting the musty odor of rain on the wind.

* * *

Akame had been following the pair from the restaurant, desperately searching for an opportunity to ruin Ichigo's impression of Rukia. She had nearly caught up to them when she suddenly felt a large raindrop splatter on her hand. _"Well, I guess I will have to call it a night now," _she thought as the rain began to fall a little harder. _"I am sorry, Lurichiyo-sama, but I fear I have not done enough to ensure a Kasumi-Ouji victory,"_ she thought as she opened the senkai gate and stepped through to escape from the sudden downpour.

* * *

The first raindrop hit Ichigo on the cheek and he looked up into the starless sky. _"Great, rain." _he thought,_ "Nothing good has ever happened in the rain." _Memories flashed through his mind: the day his mother was killed, the day Rukia was taken back to Soul Society. But as he looked down into her violet eyes and saw them sparkling in the darkness all the horrible memories he'd been reliving melted away. _"God, she's beautiful,"_ he thought, frozen in place and unable to move. The rain began to fall harder and faster, pounding down on the couple and soaking them to the bone. Ichigo reached out and brushed away a stray lock of Rukia's hair that was plastered to her forehead, then cupped her cheek in his hand, using his thumb to wipe away a stray raindrop that was running down her upper lip.

As he ran his thumb gently across her lip, she felt an electric thrill race down her spine. She felt rooted to the place she was standing, unable to tear her gaze away from his eyes. She felt him pulling her hand and allowed him to draw her close to him, feeling his arms slide around her. "Ichigo," she whispered as he closed the distance between them quickly, covering her lips with his.

The moment he felt her her delicate lips brush his, it was like a bolt of lightning passed through him, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. Everything else disappeared: the river, the rain, the path, even his own heartbeat was washed away by her. He held her tightly to him, consumed by the heat of her body as she ran her hands up his back. He shifted slightly, his lips parting with surprise as she pulled him down to her.

Rukia felt his muscles tense as she pulled him closer, turning her head slightly to deepen the kiss. She couldn't feel the raindrops anymore or even tell if she was still standing up, the only thing she knew was Ichigo. She gently ran the tip of her tongue across his bottom lip and felt him shudder in her arms, relaxing into the kiss, before slowly pulling away in desperate need of air. "Wow. Now I have a happy memory in the rain," he said softly, holding her close.

Rukia would have laughed, but she glanced around and realized that they were standing in the exact same spot where Ichigo had seen Grand Fisher's lure those many years ago, the day his mother was killed. As the rain hammered down around them, she squeezed Ichigo tightly and leaned her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as he gently rested his chin on her forehead. "Me, too," she whispered.

They stood there in silence for a moment as the magnitude of their words sank in before amber eyes met violet again. Ichigo gently caressed her cheek and whispered, "Want to make another happy memory in the rain?"

"Sure," she breathed as she melted into his arms, her eyes falling closed as he tenderly pressed his lips to hers for another kiss that took their breath away.


	9. Making It Official

_**Chapter 9: Making It Official**_

Urahara Kisuke had been standing in the doorway of his shop, watching it rain for over an hour when he saw Ichigo and Rukia turn the corner and walk toward him hand in hand. "Tessai-san!" he called over his shoulder, "they're back!" He observed the couple as they stepped under the awning and stopped in front of him. They didn't have raincoats or jackets, the rain was still dripping from their hair and noses, but they acted like they didn't have a care in the world. He brought his fan up to his lips to hide his smile. "So, Kuchiki-san, Kurosaki-san. Did you enjoy your day?"

Ichigo looked at Rukia who simply nodded. "Yeah," he said with a firm nod of his own. "Thanks for your help."

"My, my," he said, fluttering his fan, his eyes glistening under the brim of his hat, "happy to be of service, Kurosaki-san." He lifted his cane and poked Ichigo in the forehead, forcing his soul from his body, then repeated the process on Rukia, causing her gigai to fall limp at his feet. "Now," he began, "I believe it's time for you two to head home."

"What about our bodies?" Ichigo asked.

In answer, Tessai stepped from the shadows and lifted Ichigo's body and Rukia's gigai, carrying them back into the shop. Ichigo and Rukia were following him down into the training cavern, stealing glances at each other the entire time, when Urahara asked, "So, did you run into anyone unusual today?"

Rukia and Ichigo shared a look before answering. "Well," Ichigo began, "we saw Keigo and Mizuiro first thing, and then..."

"And then, Ishida and Inoue at the movies," Rukia continued.

"Right! And we ran into Chad and Yuzu and Karin at the park..."

"And then Tatsuki right before we went for a walk...", she trailed off, a blush coloring her cheeks.

"Other than that, I can't think of anybody," Ichigo finished, "why?"

Urahara adjusted his hat and thought _"Yoruichi stopped by just after lunch to tell me about the party that Ukitake and Kyouraku were planning for Rukia, and mentioned that she had seen Kasumi-Ouji Akame-san in Karakura without a gigai. I could feel her following these two around all day long, but apparently any tampering she did backfired on her. Not even releasing that hollow bait distracted Kurosaki-san and Kuchiki-san from one another." _A slight grin split his face as he whispered, "Just as I expected."

Rukia stiffened when she heard him whisper but was unable to make out what he said. "What did you say, Urahara?"

"Hrm? Oh! I was just saying how it's just as I expected that you would run into your friends today," he covered beautifully.

"Yeah," Ichigo said as Urahara finished preparing to open the senkai gate, "today was really nice."

Rukia flashed him a smile as the gate slid open to reveal the severing world. "Come on, Ichigo. It's time to go," she said as she stepped forward. She turned her head to make sure he followed her, but only saw Urahara and Tessai waving goodbye. She felt a hand on her opposite shoulder and spun to see Ichigo standing there. He had used shunpo to appear beside her while she was facing away from him.

"Come on, then, midget. Let's go," he smirked as she punched him in the shoulder.

"Dammit, strawberry!" she yelled, a playful gleam in her eye, "How many times do I have to tell you not to surprise me like that!"

The gate closed behind them, leaving Urahara and Tessai alone. "Urahara-dono," Tessai rumbled.

"I know, Tessai-san," the ex-captain laughed, "I'm going to call Isshin-san right now. I'm sure he's anxious to know how it went."

Tessai nodded and said, "Then I will contact Ishida, Inoue, Sado, and the rest of Kurosaki-dono's friends to inform them about the party."

* * *

Ichigo stopped suddenly as he emerged from the senkai gate into the moonlit courtyard, causing Rukia to crash into him from behind and knock him down.

"What the hell are you doing, idiot?! Stopping like that right in front of somebody!" she yelled as she pushed herself off of him.

"Where is everybody?" he asked, gesturing around at the lack of servants, or anyone for that matter, to greet them.

"Well Ichigo," she replied with a smirk, "it is pretty late, you know. Even we heartless Kuchiki let our servants rest at night."

Ichigo looked around, trying to find a landmark that would tell him which way he needed to go to find his way out of the courtyard. He couldn't remember which direction he had come in from that morning, and no matter which way he turned, nothing looked familiar. After straining to see in the darkness for a minute, he picked a random direction and started walking.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called, "Not that way!"

"Of course not!" he grumbled, turning to walk the opposite way.

Rukia started laughing, unable to contain herself any more.

"What?" Ichigo growled, stopping in his tracks.

"Well, you could go that way," she teased, "if you wanted to pay nii-sama a visit."

"Dammit, Rukia, how the hell do I get out of here?" he yelled, color rising in his face.

"Oh?" she said in her innocent schoolgirl voice, "Are you lost already, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Just shut up and show me which way to go, midget."

Rukia extended her hand, which he took, their fingers intertwining as she led him around the outside edge of the courtyard and through a heavy door. They walked up two sloping stone corridors and around more corners than Ichigo could count. Despite the dim light, she guided him with confidence, never missing a single turn until they came to the great gate that led out into the Seireitei.

"So, do you think you're a big enough boy to walk the rest of the way by yourself?" she said sarcastically.

Ichigo grinned and squeezed her hand. "Sure, unless you think the future king needs bodyguards now."

Rukia laughed again. _"I swear I could listen to that sound for the rest of my life and not get tired of it,"_ Ichigo thought. "Well," he began.

"Yeah," she said, squeezing his hand back, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Ichigo asked, confusion darkening his face.

"At the ceremony. Where you announce your decision?" she answered, comprehension dawning on him.

"Oh! Right! I hadn't even thought about that yet," he sighed.

"_Does that mean he hasn't decided who he's going to choose yet?"_ Rukia thought, her heart dropping into her feet. _"Maybe tonight really was too good to be true."_ They stood inside the gate holding hands for a long minute before either of them spoke again. "I had a really good time tonight, Rukia," he said finally.

"Me, too,"

"I'm glad," he grinned and let go of her hand. "I guess I should really get going," he said, opening the gate.

"Yeah," she said, "I guess so."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then?" Ichigo asked hopefully.

"I wouldn't miss it!" she replied with more enthusiasm than she felt.

"Great! Well, goodnight, Rukia," he said as he walked out the gate.

"So long, Ichigo," she said quietly, leaning on the gate as she watched him walk away. When he was finally out of sight, she pushed the gate shut and walked back to her room, lost in thought.

* * *

Ichigo walked back into the 8th division's barracks to find Shunsui sitting in his quarters waiting for him. He stood as Ichigo walked into the room and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Well, Kurosaki-san? How did it go? Was it worth the wait?"

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, "Absolutely perfect. The whole day was great!"

"Oh, really?" the elder shinigami replied, smiling broadly, "You hear that, Jyuushiro? Looks like you'll have to find yourself another potential fuku-taichou."

Ichigo turned to see Ukitake Jyuushiro standing just behind him in the doorway. "I hear it, Shun," he said, then turned to address Ichigo, "and though I hate to see Kuchiki-san leave us, Kurosaki-san, I know that you will make her happy."

"Th-thank you, Ukitake-taichou!" Ichigo stammered, "I'll do my best!"

"I know you will, Kurosaki-san," Jyuushiro said, giving Ichigo a gentle smile.

"So, tell us about it," Shunsui prodded, "now that you've had a good day."

Ichigo laughed and started to tell the story, starting from his run-in with Renji. He hit all the high points: shopping, lunch, the movie, the concert, fighting hollows together,dinner, and their walk together afterwards, stopping the story just as the rain began to fall.

"I think Kurosaki-san is holding out on us, Shun," Ukitake chuckled

"Come on, Kurosaki-san, what else happened?" Kyouraku leered, causing Ichigo to blush.

"I'm sure that Kuchiki-san behaved in a manner that would bring honor to her family and to all female shinigami," Nanao said, sticking her head around the corner.

"Ah, Nanao-chan!" Shunsui said, waving for her to enter, "Come in, come in!"

"Amekaeru-san sent me to tell you to leave Kurosaki-san alone and let him sleep. He only has until sunset tomorrow to make his final decision," she said, fixing Kyouraku-taichou with a glare. "So, let us do as she asks."

"But, Nanao-chan!" Kyouraku whined, "Kurosaki-san was just getting to the good part!"

"Come on, Shun," Ukitake laughed, putting his arm around his friend's shoulder and guiding him out of the room, "I've got a bottle of sake in my office that's never been opened. Goodnight Kurosaki-san!"

"Goodnight, Kyouraku-taichou, Ukitake-taichou," Ichigo called before turning to face his third visitor. "Thank you, Ise fuku-taichou."

Nanao adjusted her glasses and shrugged. "Good night, Kurosaki-san."

* * *

Rukia had been trying for over an hour, but her thoughts were so jumbled she couldn't calm down enough to get to sleep. _"Does he really care for me like that?"_ she thought as she remembered her kiss in the rain with Ichigo. _"But even after all that, he still hasn't given any thought to who he was going to choose! What if he chooses someone else? Yoruichi, or that Kasumi-Ouji girl?"_ Rukia sighed, opening her eyes in the dark. _"Maybe if I draw for a little while I'll be able to get some rest,"_ she thought, lighting the lamp and pulling her sketchbook out from under her pillow.

She flipped through it at random, tracing her fingers over the diagrams and doodles she'd used to train Ichigo how to be a shinigami. A single tear rolled down her face as she flipped through the pages of the Substitute Shinigami Work Diary she had been working on, the story of the day to day life she had shared with Ichigo in Karakura. She paused for a long time on the last drawing before taking a deep breath and turning the page. What she saw made her breath catch in her chest:: several failed attempts to draw Chappy the same way she did, each one hastily scratched out. Some had ears that were too long, others were too realistic, one looked more like a mouse than a rabbit, but a smile spread across her face as she reached the bottom of the page.

Down in the corner was a beautifully lifelike sketch of a rabbit chewing on a carrot with a note scribbled beside it. "I love you, Rukia, and I miss you already. -Ichigo" She clutched the sketchbook to her chest, laughing as tears ran down her face. _"When did he have time to do this?" _she thought,_ "I was only gone for two days before nii-sama sent for my things and I had my sketchbook out to write my note to him just before I left..."_ She set the open sketchbook on her desk and traced his name with her finger before bringing it back to her lips. She doused the light and crawled back into bed, pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes, feeling a peace wash through her mind. Her breathing became slow and even, and just before she fell asleep she whispered "I love you, too, Ichigo..."

* * *

As the mid-morning sun streamed in through the open window, Akame sat in her chambers replaying the events of the previous night in her mind. _"I did everything I possibly could to get his attention! I re-created a typical living world date here in Soul Society, I tried to open his eyes to the true character of Kuchiki Rukia, and still I failed at my task." _She sighed and shook her head. _"I desperately wanted to bring glory to the Kasumi-Ouji family, but I was unable to do so. Kurosaki-san and Kuchiki-san share a bond that nobody can deny. I understand now what Lurichiyo-sama meant when she described their relationship as something unique. No matter if they were flirting or fighting, no matter how much I tried to interfere with them, there is just something special about the way they act toward one another. No matter how nice a time Kurosaki-san may have had with me or anybody else, I __know now that nobody could never come close to her in his heart."_

Akame jumped at a knock on her door. "Akame-sama," she heard the servant call, "Lurichiyo-sama would like to see you in her chamber."

"Okay," she answered as she opened the door. _"Time to go explain myself...and apologize for carrying this a little too far," _she thought as she walked down the corridor to Lurichiyo's residence.

When she arrived at her destination, she nodded at the guards who opened the door for her and stepped inside.

"Akame," Lurichiyo said, "Kenryuu has told us what he heard from Urahara Kisuke-san about your exploits in the living world."

"_She knows! I may be in more trouble than I thought!" _Akame thought, swallowing hard. She bowed her head and spoke quietly, "Forgive me, Lurichiyo-sama, for going to such extreme measures."

Lurichiyo glanced over her shoulder at Kenryuu, who nodded for her to continue. "Do you remember why we chose you to represent the Kasumi-Ouji family?"

"No, Lurichiyo-sama."

"We chose you because you are strong. We chose you because you are independent and make your own choices, and execute your decisions with the refinement and dignity that is the hallmark of Kasumi-Ouji women."

Akame sat in silence, still unable to meet Lurichiyo's eyes, but could hear her continue in a more gentle tone, "We chose you, because we knew that you would make us proud whether you won the affection of Kurosaki Ichigo or not. And you did make us proud, Akame."

Akame looked up and blinked. "P-proud? But I..."

"You took the task that was assigned to you very seriously. You did everything in your power to show Kurosaki-san a good time, even to the point of following him to the living world in an effort to show him that you were a better match for him than Rukia-san, and you handled yourself as a lady the entire time. It is for that reason that we are proud. While we are...disappointed by some of the actions you took during your trip to the living world, you did no permanent harm. It also offered you a chance to see the connection that those two have with your own eyes, did it not?"

"It did, Lurichiyo-sama," Akame answered, "At first I thought she was uncouth and deliberately lowering herself to interact with him in such a way, but their relationship is as unique as you said and cannot be judged by other's standards."

Lurichiyo nodded her head. "If you understand that, then you have grown stronger still."

"Th-thank you, Lurichiyo-sama!"

Kenryuu cleared his throat, causing Lurichiyo to look up at him. He bent down to whisper something in her ear, and her eyes grew wide. "Ah, yes, there is the matter of a piece of hollow bait Enryuu reported missing from his chambers...," she paused, seeing the look of horror on Akame's face, "but I think perhaps he may have miscounted. You may go, Akame."

"Thank you, Lurichiyo-sama. For everything," Akame said with a deep bow as she left the room.

_

* * *

_

"So, Yoruichi," Kuukaku said, "did you succeed in your mission to torture Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"I did," she replied, taking a drink from her fourth glass of sake. "I maintained my feline form for most of the day."

"Most of the day?" Kuukaku asked, raising an eyebrow, "What do you mean: most?"

"Well," Yoruichi laughed, "there was this moment I just couldn't resist changing back for a minute just to freak the kid out a little bit. What about you, Kuukaku? Did you really let Kenpachi take a shot at him?"

"One better," Kuukaku smirked, "I let the entire 11th division have a crack at him!"

Yoruichi raised her glass in salute, "Well done! How did he do?"

"He won, of course," Kuukaku chuckled, "but afterwards he dragged me through the streets trying to avoid Kenpachi and his fuku-taichou. Little did he know that I had already made a deal with that demon on his behalf."

"You didn't!"

"I did! Kurosaki is now committed to fight Zaraki Kenpachi once a year. No loss of life or limb, though, much to Kenpachi's dismay."

Yoruichi cackled, nearly spilling her drink. "You actually got Kenpachi to agree to that?"

"It was either that or face the fact that he couldn't fight Kurosaki anymore, and to him that's not even an option."

"Nee-sama!" Ganju called from outside the door, "I've brought another bottle of sake from the cellar!"

"Bring it in here!" she yelled, pouring the dregs of the bottle she had beside her into her glass, "we've run out!"

Ganju slid the door open and quickly crossed the room to set the full bottle down and take the empty one with him. "Thank you, Ganju," Kuukaku said.

"You should thank me, " Ganju grumbled, barely loud enough for Yoruichi to hear, "Six bottles of sake since noon..."

Kuukaku leapt through the air and kicked him in the back of the neck, dropping him to the floor. She spun him roughly onto his back and screamed at him, punctuating each word with a punch to the face, "What. Have. I. Told. You. About. Manners!"

Cowering on the floor, Ganju blocked her punches the best he could and whimpered an apology. "I'm sorry, nee-sama! You're welcome! You're welcome!"

"That's better," she said, climbing off of him and pointing him out the door. "Now, get out of here."

"Yes, nee-sama," Ganju said, walking out.

"That's one thing about Ichigo:" Kuukaku said, "he took his licks like a man, and behaved like a gentleman the entire time, even though I was making his life hell."

Yoruichi nodded, "I think he's going to do all right, don't you?"

"If not, Kuchiki-san will keep him in line!" Kuukaku replied as both women broke down in fits of laughter.

* * *

Yamamoto Genryuusai stood on the raised platform at one end of the arena watching the sunset and waiting for the moment to be right. On either side of the arena the stands were filled with spectators: shinigami seated in the the upper level, allowing the nobles from lower houses to use the better seats on the lower level. Nearer to the platform were special sections for the families of the four suitors so they could be close to the action, while the heads of the four families were on the platform itself. As the leading edge of the sun passed the horizon, he motioned to his fuku-taichou, who rang the massive bell. As the sound echoed from every corner of the Seireitei, the assembled crowds fell silent.

Yamamoto looked across the platform to see Kurosaki Ichigo standing in his appointed place and allowed himself a small smile. "Kurosaki Ichigo, step forward!" he began, his deep voice booming across the arena. "You have had one day with each of these four women, chosen by the head of their house to court you. Have you chosen one of them to be your bride?" He gestured with his hand and the four woman stepped forward. Though all of them were finely dressed, Ichigo only noticed one of them. Dressed in the same ivy-patterned lavender kimono she'd worn to his introduction ceremony, her violet eyes reflecting the orange of the sinking sun, Ichigo couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

"I have, Yamamoto-soutaichou." Ichigo said.

The nobles began to murmur among themselves, most of them wondering who could have made such an impression on the future king. Yamamoto tapped his cane on the stone, causing the crowd to immediately fall silent again. "Which of these four have you chosen?" he asked.

"I have chosen Kuchiki Rukia to share my life with."

Yamamoto closed his eyes as the shinigami present erupted in cheers. He allowed the celebration to go on for a moment before tapping his cane on the platform again. As soon as they calmed down, Yamamoto spoke again, "Kuchiki Rukia, step forward." Rukia took a deep breath, stepped forward and turned her head to face Yamamoto, who continued, "Kurosaki Ichigo has proven his right to the throne of the Spirit King, but that does not give him any authority over your heart. As such, the suitor is given an opportunity to withdraw if she so desires. Do you accept his choice and consent to be his bride?"

A tear ran down Rukia's face as she smiled at Ichigo. "I do, Yamamoto-soutaichou."

Yamamoto nodded his head "Very well. Effective immediately you are released from your duties as a shinigami of the 13th division to prepare for your wedding. Kurosaki Ichigo," he said, turning back to look across the platform at him, "tomorrow you shall be wed to Kuchiki Rukia. Immediately after that ceremony will be your coronation, and the following morning you will be allowed entry into the royal household by way of the King's Key. This ceremony is adjourned."

Behind him, the massive bell rang and all assembled knelt and bowed their heads to the new royal couple. Rukia moved as if to kneel to Ichigo, but was stopped by Byakuya's outstretched hand. Her jaw dropped as she turned to see him and the rest of those standing on the platform bowing to her as well. She looked over to see Ichigo smiling at her as the bell rang again, signaling the official close to the ceremony.


	10. The Happy Ending Duh!

_**Chapter 10: The Happy Ending (Duh!)**_

_**Author's Note: While researching formal kimono for the wedding, alter3d.c0re came across a description of the Kubo family crest. To pay our respects, we adopted it for the royal family crest. And why not? None of this would be possible without Kubo-sensei!**_

_**Health and Safety Warning: Once again, due to the nature of the IchiRuki moments in this chapter, the authors would like to advise all IchiRuki shippers to be securely seated while reading. We will not be held responsible for any bodily harm that occurs during any potential IchiRuki fangasms that result from reading this chapter.**_

Ichigo lay dozing on his back, eyes closed, when he suddenly heard a terrifying sound: "Good morning, I-CHI-GOOOooph!"

Ichigo jumped up and ground his foot into his father's face, yelling "Shut up, old man! It's too early in the morning for you to be making this much noise!" As he pulled his foot from Isshin's face, he remembered where he was. "Dad! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Oi, Kurosaki!" a familiar voice called from the doorway. Ichigo turned to see Ishida, Chad, Mizuiro, and Keigo watching wide eyed as Ichigo silenced his father.

"Ishida! Guys!" Ichigo said, surprised.

"Are you surprised, my son?" Isshin laughed as he sat up, rubbing his jaw. "I told you it was fairly easy to make arrangements to travel between the worlds as a member of the royal family, didn't I? Besides, you didn't expect me to miss my only son's wedding, did you?"

"N-no," Ichigo stammered, overwhelmed, "but where are Yuzu and Karin? You didn't leave them behind, did you?"

Isshin laughed and clapped a heavy hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Of course not! The girls went with Inoue-san and Arisawa-san to visit Rukia-chan!"

"She'll be glad they got to come," Ichigo yawned, "and I'm glad all of you made it!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Chad rumbled.

Ichigo looked at his friends. "Wait! How did you guys get here? Are you all dead?"

His friends looked at each other and broke down laughing. Ishida answered, "Urahara's spiritron-converting senkai gate, remember? The same way Chad, Inoue, and I got to Soul Society the first time."

"Ahhh," Ichigo said, nodding his head.

"He's here, you know. Kisuke, I mean," Isshin said

"How? I thought he was still considered a fugitive from justice as far as Soul Society was concerned?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, after the vizards helped during the Winter War, Yamamoto made an executive decision that Kisuke, Tessai, and the Vizards were unjustly condemned by Central 46. All was forgiven, and they were all given the opportunity to return to Soul Society," Isshin replied.

"Really? Did any of them take him up on it?"

"No. The vizards were still a little wary of jumping back into bed with Soul Society after what happened with them, and Kisuke said it would be bad for business."

Ichigo laughed, that sounded just like something the greedy merchant would say. "So, where is he?"

"He said he wanted to go visit some old friends. But enough about him, we've got to get you ready!"

* * *

Tatsuki, Orihime, Yuzu, and Karin stood outside the great gate of the Kuchiki Manor. "So, what do we do?" Yuzu asked, "Do we just knock on the door?"

"I guess," Orihime shrugged, reaching out to knock gently on the gate.

No response.

Tatsuki sighed. "That's not going to get anybody's attention!" she yelled as she pounded on the gate hard enough to dent the wood, shouting "Is anyone in there!" The great gate opened to reveal a confused-looking Kuchiki family servant.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?", the servant demanded, noticing the visitor's odd attire.

"We're here to see Rukia," Yuzu piped up.

The servant looked at the faces of the small group, unable to recognize any of them. "I will have to get permission from Kuchiki Byakuya-sama before I can allow you inside. May I have your names?"

Orihime answered, "I am Inoue Orihime and this is Arisawa Tatsuki, friends of hers from the living world. These two are Kurosaki Yuzu and Kurosaki Karin, the sisters of Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Kurosaki Ichigo? The same Kurosaki Ichigo who will marry Rukia-sama later today?" the servant asked nervously.

"The same," Karin replied. "Whether we like it or not, he's our brother."

"Allow me to go find Byakuya-sama. I'm sure he will want to meet you. Please wait right there!" With that, the servant disappeared and closed the gate in their faces.

"Oi! Come back here, dammit!" Tatsuki yelled, banging on the gate.

After a few minutes of this, the gate opened again, revealing Kuchiki Byakuya.

Orihime bowed and the other three followed suit, "Kuchiki-taichou," she said, "nice to see you again."

"And you as well, Inoue-san. I am sorry, but Rukia is still asleep. You may come inside and wait for her if you like."

"Thank you, Kuchiki-taichou. We actually came to surprise her and help her to get ready for the wedding," Orihime said.

"I see," Byakuya said, nodding his head.

"May we wake her up, Kuchiki-taichou?", Yuzu put in.

Byakuya seemed to consider this for a moment before sighing and nodding his head. "Inoue-san, do you recall the way to Rukia's chamber?"

"No," she said, "I don't."

"Very well," he said, turning to the servant who had been standing just out of sight, "please escort them to Rukia's chambers."

"Yes, Byakuya-sama," the servant replied with a deep bow.

Byakuya turned back to the girls and said, "Just follow her. I have my own preparations to make, so I will excuse myself now." He bowed his head and walked away.

The girls entered the massive gate and followed the servant closely until they reached their destination. The servant opened the door quietly and waved the girls inside. Inside, they could see Rukia burrowed under her blankets with a huge smile plastered on her face. Orihime and Tatsuki pushed Karin and Yuzu forward gently.

"Go on!" Tatsuki urged with a scheming grin.

"Rukia-nee!" Yuzu said quietly, shaking Rukia's shoulder gently. "Rukia-nee, it's time to get up!"

"Hrrrnnggng," the raven-haired shinigami replied, still dead to the world.

"Rukia! Oi!" Karin tried, louder than her sister, "Get up! Don't you remember? You're supposed to marry Ichi-nii today!"

Rukia rolled over, yawned, and opened her eyes, blinking at the ceiling. "All right, Karin, I'm up. What's Yuzu fixing for breakfast?"

Orihime and Tatsuki couldn't hold in their laughter any more, and Rukia sat bolt upright in bed, eyes wide. "Orihime! Tatsuki!"

"Good morning, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime said pleasantly.

"Yuzu! Karin!" Rukia cried, hugging the twins then pushing them back to arms length with a confused look. "Wait! What are you doing here?!"

"Did you really think we would miss the wedding, Rukia-nee?", Yuzu said with a smile.

"I didn't know you would get to come!"

"Well, Ichigo's dad does have a little bit of sway," Tatsuki said with a smirk, "so we got to come along to help you get ready for the wedding. Ishida, Sado, Mizuiro, and Keigo are here for Ichigo, too."

Rukia laughed and swung her feet off the bed. "Okay...where do we start?"

* * *

"Dad! Do I really have to wear this?" Ichigo moaned as he looked in the mirror at the formal kimono Amekaeru had brought him: a black silk kimono tied with a white obi. Both sides of his chest and both shoulders were adorned with the royal family crest, a circle with a pair of crossed falcon feathers in it.

"It's tradition, boy!" Isshin said, slapping him hard on the back. "Besides, it looks almost like your shihakusho!"

"It really is a beautiful garment, Ichigo," Ishida said, gently stroking the sleeve, "you should feel honored to wear something like this."

Ichigo pulled away. "Stop that, Ishida. It's creepy," he said, turning to see the back. There was a fifth, larger, copy of the family crest. "Tradition, huh? Well, it's just for a few hours after all." Ichigo sighed, thinking, _"I wonder if Rukia's having this much trouble getting ready?"_

"Inoue-san!" they heard Amekaeru calling from outside.

"Inoue?" Ichigo said, looking around at the other men in the room, "I thought you said she was supposed to be with Rukia?"

* * *

"Thanks for making breakfast, Yuzu," Rukia said, "it was great!"

"You're welcome!" she replied, "Thank your brother for letting me use his kitchen!"

Rukia laughed, "I doubt he minded. He doesn't spend very much time in the kitchen. Now, where do we start?"

While the girls discussed what needed to be done that day, a soft grunting sound could be heard from the corner as the zipper on Yuzu's backpack began to move. Wider and wider it opened until a plush lion stuck his nose out into the room. "Ahhh!" Kon sighed, "Finally I'm out of there!" He sniffed the air. "Hey! What smells so good?" he yelled.

"Did you hear something?" Yuzu said to Rukia, looking around the room.

"No," Rukia said, listening hard to see if she could detect what had stolen Yuzu's focus. "I don't hear anything."

"Nee-san!" they both heard suddenly as a yellow blur sped across the floor and launched itself at Rukia. Acting on instinct, she smacked him out of the air and sent him bouncing from wall to wall before finally settling in a heap on a high shelf by her bed.

"Kon! How did you get here?" Rukia cried, her brows furrowing with frustration.

Yuzu timidly raised her hand. "I brought him," she said, "I had put him in my backpack and kind of, well, forgot about him."

"Forgot!" Kon cried from across the room, only to be completely ignored by everyone.

"So," Tatsuki grinned, "Where's the dress?"

"Right here!" Rukia said, smiling as she opened her wardrobe to reveal a beautiful, if simple white dress with a high neck and closed back. "Nii-sama had it made, based on the pattern of the one Hisana wore when they were married. He's also going to let me wear the Kuchiki family wedding kimono. It's been passed down for generations!"

"Wow," Orihime breathed, "your dress is so pretty!"

Hidden behind the Chappy collectibles on the shelf, Kon had picked himself up and was readying himself for another attack. _"I'm running out of time to be nestled in nee-san's heavenly valley!" _he thought, _"I'm just going to have to risk it!"_ He turned to face the last direction he'd heard Rukia's voice in and jumped blindly, only to find himself skidding across the top of the wardrobe. Directly in front of him was a small arrangement of lit candles. Try as he might to stop himself, the Kuchiki family servants kept the top of the wardrobe so clean he couldn't get any traction. He slid into the candles and knocked them over, causing one to roll off the edge. _"Whew,"_ he thought, _"At least I didn't get burnt!"_

"Ahhhh! My dress!" he heard Rukia cry and peeked over the edge of the wardrobe. What he saw filled him with dread: Orihime, Tatsuki, and Rukia all stomping on a pile of flaming fabric on the floor. By the time they managed to put the fire out, the dress had been reduced to a pile of unrecognizable charred scraps.

"_I am going to die," _Kon thought as he jumped down from the top of the wardrobe and looked around desperately for a place to hide.

"Oh, no, Rukia-nee!" Yuzu said, almost in tears, "What are you going to do?"

Rukia blinked back the tears in her own eyes and said, "I don't know. Nii-sama said he had our clothiers start working on it the first night I was back. It's taken them five days to finish it!"

"How did those candles get knocked down?" Karin asked, standing on her tiptoes to see what if there was any clue on top of the wardrobe.

Rukia caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye and spun to see Kon slinking across the floor. "Kon!" she bellowed, closing the distance between them in one burst of shunpo.

"N-nee-san," Kon stammered as Rukia's hand closed around his throat.

"I should kill you right now," Rukia growled, fury burning behind her violet eyes. "No. On second thought I should tear your arms and legs off and leave you completely helpless, then rip your throat out and crush your soul pill into _**powder**_. That was my wedding dress, Kon!" she screamed, tightening her grip on the mod soul.

"Aha!" Orihime cried, snapping her fingers causing Rukia to freeze and everyone to look at her. "I've got an idea!" she said, excitedly. "How long do we have until the wedding?"

"About three hours," Rukia said, her hand still squeezing Kon's throat.

"Hmmm," Orihime thought for a moment, "that should be enough time. I'll get my boyfriend to come and make you a new dress!"

"Your b-boyfriend?" Rukia said, dropping Kon to the floor and allowing him to escape.

"Mmhmm!" Orihime replied, "I'm sure Uryuu-kun would be glad to do it! I'll go get him!" She took off out of the room at a dead run, nearly flattening a passing servant on her way to get Ishida from the 8th division.

"So, Rukia," Karin said conversationally, "what do you think we should do with that bastard Kon for ruining your dress?"

"Well, you've seen how I deal with him most of the time, but just beating him won't be enough this time. What do you think?", Rukia answered.

"Well, when he's done something stupid or been perverted I usually just let Yuzu play with him for a few days until he comes crawling back in tears to apologize."

"_I'm so dead,"_ Kon thought from his hiding place. _"She really is going to tear my stuffing out and kill me. I've got to get out of here!"_

Tatsuki, who had been looking under furniture and in corners for him, spotted him crawling toward Rukia's window, about to make his escape. She crept up behind him and stepped on his tail, pinning him in place.

"Ahhh! No! Nee-san, I'm sorry! Forgive me!" he cried, turning to discover that it was not Rukia who had captured him. He was plucked from his perch by Tatsuki's strong hand and carried back to face judgment.

"Rukia, Karin. Look who I just found," Tatsuki said with a triumphant grin.

"N-nee-san," Kon stammered, "I-I-I'm sorry....I didn't mean to...I just..."

"Shut up, Kon," Rukia growled, her eyes narrowed in anger.

"Well, Rukia, what are you going to do with him?" Tatsuki asked.

Rukia's eyes suddenly brightened, and Kon thought for an instant she was going to have mercy on him, until she spoke, "Do you think Ishida would mind making a second dress?"

"A second dress?" Tatsuki said, wrinkling her nose, "Do you need two?"

"Oh, the second one's not for me," Rukia said with an evil grin, "it's for him. What do you think, Yuzu? Would you mind carrying Bostov here once he's properly dressed for the ceremony?"

"Sure!" Yuzu said excitedly.

Kon groaned and hung his head. "I think I'd rather die," he wailed.

"Good. That's exactly the reaction I was aiming for," Rukia said.

* * *

"Inoue-san! You can't go in there right now! Ichigo-dono isn't decent!"

"It's okay, Amekaeru-san," Ichigo called, "I'm dressed now. You can let her in."

Orihime came bursting through the door with an exasperated Amekaeru in tow. "She said it was an emergency, Ichigo-dono, but she would not tell me what it was about."

"I'm sorry!" Orihime panted, "But I'm in a hurry! Kon knocked a candle over onto Kuchiki-san's wedding dress."

"He did **what**?" Ichigo screamed.

Orihime nodded and continued, "The dress caught fire and was completely burned up!"

Ichigo could feel the blood pounding through his head, and a vein began to pulse above his eye. "That son of a...," he growled, "I'm going to kill that little bastard!" He picked Zangetsu up from the bed and began to move toward the door, his jaw set. "First I'm going to carve him up into tiny pieces. Then I'm going to make him apologize to Rukia. And then I'm going to Getsuga Tenshou his mod soul ass into oblivion!" Just before he could leave he was stopped by his father's strong hand on his shoulder.

"Hang on a second, Ichigo." Isshin said gently, "I don't think Inoue-san is done telling the story."

Orihime nodded her thanks to him and said, "So, after we got the fire out I had a great idea! I could get Uryuu-kun to make Kuchiki-san a new dress!"

Ishida's jaw dropped. "You told her I could do what?"

"You mean you can't?" Orihime's face fell and a tear was visible in the corner of her eye.

"N-no," Ishida said, raising both hands in an attempt to calm her down, "I can do it."

"Great!" Orihime said, grabbing his arm and dragging him toward the door, "Let's go!"

"Ishida!" Ichigo called in a warning tone.

"Don't worry so much, Kurosaki," Ishida said, leaning back into the doorway, "it will be my finest work ever. I promise." With that, he allowed Orihime to win the tug of war and lead him back to the Kuchiki manor.

Ichigo shook free of Isshin's hand and sat down heavily on the bed.

"Ichigo," Chad rumbled.

Ichigo looked up at his friend, worry lines etching themselves ever deeper on his face.

"Don't worry. Ishida will take care of it. You saw what he did for us before we left Soul Society, didn't you?"

Ichigo thought back, dredging the memory up. Ishida had indeed produced new clothes for everyone just before they left to return to Karakura. He sighed. "Yeah, Chad, I remember. I'm just worried about what else could go wrong."

"Typical wedding day jitters, my son!" Isshin grinned proudly. "Be glad you have friends like Ishida-kun and Orihime-chan here to help you and Rukia-chan!"

* * *

Orihime dragged Ishida through the streets of Seireitei up to the gate to the Kuchiki manor. She entered without bothering to knock this time and raced down corridor after corridor to Rukia's chambers. There, she paused for a moment to make sure Rukia was decent before barging in.

"Hello, Kuchiki-san," Uryuu said, adjusting his glasses.

"Did Inoue tell you what happened?" Rukia asked

"Yes. We'll need to move quickly," Ishida said, opening his sewing kit and pulling out a tape measure. He moved quickly, taking precise measurements, pausing only once to ask a question: "Kuchiki-san?"

"Yes?"

The color rose in Ishida's face as he tried to figure out the best way to ask his question without offending anyone. "Do you...I mean, are you...?" he started and stopped, gesturing at her chest.

Orihime giggled. "I think what Uryuu-kun is needs to know is whether or not your bust is wrapped."

"Oh," Rukia said, blushing a little, "yes. Does it matter?"

Uryuu stood, cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose. "For the design I have in mind, it would be better without the bindings. Also, I'd like to see the kimono you plan to wear with this dress, so I can incorporate some of the same elements into my design. I'll go do that, and when I come back I'll take the last measurement."

Ishida walked out the door and Rukia could hear him asking a passing servant where he could find the wedding kimono. Orihime pushed the door shut and turned back to Rukia. "He won't be gone long," she said.

"I know," Rukia sighed, as she began to remove her bindings.

After about ten minutes, Ishida returned and got his final measurement. "Okay, Kuchiki-san. The clothiers I spoke with here in the manor have given me access to all the fabrics I'm going to need. It shouldn't take too long. When it's ready I'll bring it back to you."

"Thank you, Ishida," Rukia said. She was about to let him leave when she noticed Yuzu holding Kon up in the air. "Wait a second, Ishida!"

"Yes?"

"Measure Kon too," she replied with a smirk. "His punishment for burning the original dress is to wear one himself for the day."

Ishida laughed and pulled out his tape measure again, taking rapid measurements. "I'll make it an exact copy of your dress, Rukia. I'm sure he'll look great in it."

"Shut up, you four-eyed son of a...,"

"Kon!" Rukia warned, "You are lucky to be alive after what you did. Don't make me change my mind."

Kon's plush jaw opened and closed a couple of times before staying shut. He knew better than to push her when she was angry.

Rukia, Orihime, Karin, and Yuzu spent the next hour and a half making what preparations they could. They were just sitting down with a cup of tea when they heard a knock on the door. "Kuchiki-san? It's ready."

Rukia opened the door and Ishida came in with two wedding dresses. He handed the tiny one to Tatsuki, and the larger one to Rukia. "Here you go. I hope that you find my work satisfactory," he said, adjusting his glasses again.

Rukia looked over the dress, her mouth open in shock. "How did you? I thought it would take hours! It looks beautiful! Oh, Ishida, thank you!"

"Now, go, Uryuu-kun! We've only got an hour to get Kuchiki-san dressed, and you need to make sure Kurosaki-kun is ready, too!" Orihime said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips for his trouble before slamming the door in his face.

* * *

Ishida came dashing into the 8th division and nearly flattened Kyouraku Shunsui. "Woah! Slow down, Ishida-san!", Kyouraku said with a grin.

"Sorry, Kyouraku-taichou!"

"Ishida!" Ichigo yelled from his quarters, "Get your ass back here and get ready!"

"Better get going, Ishida-san. Kurosaki-san isn't exactly in the best of moods today," he said with a wink, "something about Kuchiki-san's dress, I believe."

Ishida walked through the door to see his friends in various states of undress. "Dammit, Ishida! Where the hell have you been?" Ichigo griped as he tied his sandals.

Ishida adjusted his glasses calmly. "I just got done making Kuchiki-san's wedding dress," he replied, "and I think you'll appreciate it when you see it."

Isshin slid over and whispered something in Ishida's ear. Ishida whispered an answer back, causing Isshin to whistle. "Ichigo! You should thank Ishida-kun for his hard work to make sure your wedding is special."

Ichigo paused and looked up. "How did she look, Ishida? Rukia, I mean. Is she handling everything okay?"

The smart remark he was about to give died on Ishida's lips as he read the concern in his friend's eyes. "She's doing fine, " he said quietly. "Orihime threw me out so they could get her ready."

A visible wave of relief washed over Ichigo's body. He took a deep breath and blew it out, attempting to calm his nerves. "Thank you, Ishida."

The Quincy grinned and said, "Thank me after you've seen the dress."

Twenty minutes later, Ichigo stood up. "Well. I guess it's time," he said, looking around at his friends and family. He leaned toward the door and it felt like his feet were rooted to the stone floor.

Isshin chuckled softly and put his hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Come on, son. Just put one foot in front of the other." Feeling the warmth radiating from his father's hand, he gathered his confidence and led the group from the 8th division to the arena where the wedding and coronation would be held.

* * *

Ichigo stood at the altar next to Yamamoto, surveying the assembled masses. His eyes scanned the crowd for familiar faces, touching on friends and family in the front row and respected captains and vice captains scattered here and there. He noticed Karin flashing him a thumbs-up before prodding Yuzu and pointing at him. Yuzu smiled and waved, and Ichigo could have sworn he saw a flash of white between them. He blinked as Yuzu lifted Kon into sight, dressed in a miniature wedding dress and forced his tiny paw to wave too. It was all he could do to contain his laughter as Kon started trying to escape only to be apprehended by Karin. As he continued to look around, Kyouraku Shunsui caught his eye and gave him a wink and a grin just as the processional began to play. The guests stood and looked toward the back where Kuchiki Byakuya was escorting Rukia in. Ichigo's breath caught in his throat when he saw her. Her formal kimono, passed down through generations of Kuchiki women, was a sight to behold: jacquard cranes to symbolize faithfulness, pine for endurance, and plum blossoms to symbolize her resilience and nobility were embellished with silver embroidery. The kimono was open at the waist, billowing behind her like a captain's haori to reveal the dress Ishida had designed for her.

"_Damn,"_ Ichigo thought, _"Ishida can't sew guys clothes that amount to much but girl's clothes...Rukia's dress...it's just...fantastic!"_

His jaw dropped as she got closer and he could see the dress better. A scoop front white gown with white and silver embroidery on the bodice to match the kimono. Ichigo caught a flash of skin as she moved, exposing the slit in the side that came up to her knees. _"Wow,"_ Ichigo thought, _"she's beautiful. I can't believe how lucky I am."_

As Byakuya and Rukia reached the altar, he whispered something in her ear that caused her to blush and presented her to Ichigo, before taking his own seat in the front row. Ichigo took her hands in his with a smile and they turned together to face Yamamoto, who tapped his cane on the stone three times to begin the quick royal wedding ceremony.

"Let us begin," Yamamoto said once everyone was seated. "Kurosaki Ichigo, do you take Kuchiki Rukia to be your wife; and do you swear to love, honor, cherish, and protect her until the end of time?"

"I do," Ichigo replied with a nod, turning to look at Rukia.

"Kuchiki Rukia, do you take Kurosaki Ichigo to be your husband; and do you swear to love, honor, cherish, and protect him until the end of time?"

"I do," Rukia said, turning to return Ichigo's gaze.

"Very well," Yamamoto said, "then as soutaichou of the Gotei 13 I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride..."

Ichigo took Rukia in his arms and pulled her body to him, feeling every gentle curve as he half-lifted her. For a split second, amber eyes met violet again and he felt a jolt run through his body as her soft lips met his own. They could barely hear the sounds of the crowd applauding over the pounding of their hearts. They deepened the kiss and the applause started to die off, leaving the guests standing in awkward silence. For a long moment they stood, lost in the embrace, tongues exploring and dueling for dominance before they broke apart, suddenly aware that the guests were just silently staring at them.

They didn't have time to be embarrassed, though, because Yamamoto tapped his cane on the stone again, and began to speak. "There is another ceremony to be performed today before we can truly congratulate these two," he said. "Kurosaki Isshin, please step forward."

Isshin stood and stepped into the aisle, walking down to stand behind his son. "Yes, Yamamoto-soutaichou?"

"So that all may be done in accordance with the laws of succession, do you now surrender the crown and allow it to pass to your son, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"I do," Isshin said solemnly, producing an ornate golden crown seemingly from thin air.

"Very well," Yamamoto replied, "Amekaeru, retainer of the royal house, please step forward."

"Yes, Yamamoto-soutaichou?", she replied, producing an elegant looking, though slightly smaller, crown in the same manner.

"Are the two of you prepared?"

"We are," Isshin and Amekaeru replied.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, Kurosaki Rukia," Yamamoto said.

"Yes, Yamamoto-soutaichou?" Ichigo and Rukia answered.

"As this assembly has already confirmed your right to the throne and the two of you are wed, you are now eligible to inherit the crowns of your ancestors. Kneel before me."

Ichigo knelt for what he knew would be the last time, feeling the rough stone through his kimono. As he knelt, he felt the weight of the crown settling on his head and then Yamamoto's hands on his shoulders. "Traditionally, the royal household has been without a family name, but starting this historic day it shall bear the name of the king. I crown you now Ichigo, the first Spirit King from the house of Kurosaki, and Rukia, his queen. May you live long and govern well! Rise!"

Ichigo stood and took Rukia's arm the way Amekaeru had instructed. He looked across the sea of faces again, seeing tears in Yuzu's eyes and pride shining in Isshin's. He locked eyes with his friends one by one, receiving a nod of acknowledgement before Yamamoto spoke again, his voice booming, "I present to you Kurosaki Ichigo and Kurosaki Rukia, your king and queen!" There was a great rustling of fabric as everyone present knelt and bowed their head to the couple. Ichigo squeezed Rukia's hand and spoke loudly enough for all to hear, "You may rise," he said, just as he had rehearsed the night before, "and we thank you for the blessing of your presence."

With that, everyone stood and began milling around, some drifting out of the arena, others rushing to offer their congratulations. One of the first to reach the couple was Inoue Orihime. "Kurosaki-kun! Kurosaki-san! Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Inoue," Ichigo said.

"_Kurosaki Rukia," _the former Kuchiki thought as a broad grin split her face, _"that's my name, and I get to stay with him from now on until the end of time. The end of time! Wow. I wonder how many children we're going to have? I wonder when Isshin-san will start bothering us to try?" _Rukia couldn't help but laugh at that thought and a dozen others that drifted through her mind at that moment.

"Kurosaki-san!", Inoue called, "Kurosaki-san!"

Rukia was lost in her own thoughts and didn't seem to hear, so Ichigo elbowed her in the ribs, "Oi, midget! She's talking to you, not me."

Rukia turned slowly, trying to process that statement. "Huh? Oh! Inoue!" she cried, giving her auburn haired friend a hug. "I'm sorry! It's going to take some getting used to," she said.

"What is?"

"Being called 'Kurosaki-san'," Rukia laughed. _"Not that it sounds bad. 'Kurosaki Rukia'. Not bad at all,"_ she thought.

"_I kinda like the sound of that myself: 'Kurosaki Rukia',"_ Ichigo thought with a smile.

Orihime looked back and forth between her two friends, who were suddenly grinning like a pair of idiots. "Okaaay," she said, "so, are you ready for the party?"

"Party?" Ichigo and Rukia said in unison.

"Yeah!" Orihime said, nodding vigorously, "Ukitake-taichou and Kyouraku-taichou have been planning it for days! It's going to be at the 13th division's training grounds in an hour."

"We'll be there," Ichigo answered.

"Great! See you later, then!" Orihime waved as she ran off to find Uryuu.

"A party, huh?" Rukia asked, "And she said Kyouraku-taichou helped to plan it?"

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, "but she said Ukitake-taichou planned it too, so maybe it won't be that bad."

Rukia snorted a laugh, "Yeah, maybe it won't be a total sake-fueled disaster."

* * *

"So, Ichigo, how come you didn't bring all of your stuff?" Rukia asked as they made their way back to the Kuchiki manor to change clothes after the ceremony.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when the servants went to the 8th division to pick your clothes and things up, they didn't come back with much."

"Oh. Dad said that most of my things were sent ahead to the royal house. The only things I brought with me were the things I'd need for this week."

"That makes sense," she said, "that way you could focus on the important things."

"Like keeping Kenpachi, Yoruichi, and Kuukaku from killing me?" he said with a smirk.

"Something like that," she answered with a laugh.

Ichigo leaned over and kissed her softly, "I was always focused on the 'important thing', Rukia."

After their quick detour to change from their formal wedding clothes and crowns into their regular shihakusho, Ichigo and Rukia arrived hand in hand at the 13th division's training grounds. The looked around, taking in the streamers, balloons, and...

"Ice sculptures?" Ichigo said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hitsugaya-taichou did them," Rangiku said as she approached the couple. "He did a good job, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, nodding his head, "it looks great!"

"Thanks, Kurosaki," a grumpy voice said as Toushirou stepped out from behind Rangiku. "You'll never know how big a pain in the ass they were."

"Toushirou!" Ichigo exclaimed, holding out his hand, which the 10th division captain shook firmly.

"For the last time, it's Hitsugaya-taichou!" Toushirou said with a smirk. "Congratulations, Kurosaki...and Kurosaki-san," he said before walking off to join the party.

"I'd better go, too," Rangiku said, "Kyouraku-taichou put me in charge of the sake. Have fun!"

Ichigo and Rukia stared after her as she ran off. "Like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse, isn't it?" Rukia murmured. Ichigo just nodded as they wandered deeper into the training grounds. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar red-headed shinigami coming toward them.

"Oi, Kurosaki!" he called

"Yes?" Rukia answered with a maddening grin, causing him to redden.

"N-not you, Kurosaki," he stammered, "I meant Ichigo."

"Yes?" Ichigo said sweetly, mimicking Rukia's tone and facial expression perfectly.

"Congratulations, you two," Renji said, setting a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Thanks, Renji," Rukia said.

"Oi, Abarai!" a voice called.

"Ikkaku!" he yelled back.

"Matsumoto is opening a fresh bottle! You don't want to miss it, do you?"

"I'll be right there!" Renji called, then turning back to Ichigo and Rukia, "I'm going to get something to drink. I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"Sure," Ichigo said with a laugh as Renji tore off through the crowd. "Hey, Rukia?"

"What?" she said.

"Do you see what I see over there?", he said, pointing to a familiar looking shinigami talking with Keigo.

"Oh, no. Please don't let him be that drunk already."

Across the training grounds, a half-drunk Keigo was talking with Kurotsuchi Nemu. "So, you're pretty cute," he said, "What do you say you and I go find something better to do when this is over?"

"I doubt Mayuri-sama would allow that," Nemu replied calmly.

"Who's this Mayuri-sama? Is he your boyfriend?"

"Nemu," Kurotsuchi Mayuri said, causing Keigo to jump. He turned around to see a literal freak of nature. His white face and oddly shaped ear and chin attachments were enough to startle him, but the cold look in his eyes caused a shiver to run down Keigo's spine.

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," she replied.

"Stop talking to this waste of flesh and come on, you dolt. We are ready to continue our experiment," Mayuri growled as he pushed past Keigo to leave the party.

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," she said, turning to follow behind him. She paused and turned back to bow slightly to Keigo. "It was nice to meet you," she said before following the 12th division's captain out the gate.

Recovering from the shock of seeing Kurotsuchi Mayuri for the first time, Keigo eagerly scanned through the crowd, searching for another female he could make a move on. A shy looking dark-haired shinigami caught his eye and he crossed the training grounds to talk to her.

"Hi," he said, "I'm Asano Keigo, a friend of Ichigo's. And who might you be?"

"My name is Hinamori Momo," she replied, bowing her head slightly, "nice to meet you."

"Yeah, hey...you look pretty bored, do you want to go for a walk or something?"

Momo blushed crimson and shuffled her feet, "I...er...I'm very, uh, flattered that you would ask...Asano-san, was it?"

Keigo nodded, leaning a little closer.

"Y-yes, th-thank you for the invitation Asano-san," she said, backing away a couple of steps, "but I...uh..."

"You don't want to go with me?"

"No, she does not," a voice answered for her.

Keigo turned to see a shock of white hair at eye level. He looked down into the speaker's turquoise eyes, narrow with anger. "Wh-who are you?"

"I am Hitsugaya Toushirou, and you are leaving."

"Why should I?" Keigo asked, just drunk enough to lack good sense.

"First of all, because you are hitting on my friend, who obviously wants nothing to do with you. Second, because if you don't, I'll turn you into one of these ice sculptures," Toushirou growled, fingering the hilt of Hyourinmaru.

Keigo put his hands up and backed away. "Sorry, sorry," he said, "I didn't know you were here with a date. It was nice to meet you!"

"Th-thank you, Shiro-chan," Momo said with a smile.

Ichigo laughed, watching Keigo strike out again. "He just doesn't know when to quit, does he?" Rukia asked.

"He never has," Ichigo replied as they got closer to the center of the party.

"Rukia! Kurosaki-san!" Ukitake Jyuushiro called from about ten feet away, "Come over here for a minute!"

The couple shouldered their way through to him. "Okay, Shun, they're here!" he cried, jumping up on the table he was sitting at. Kyouraku Shunsui sent a flare of kidou into the air to get everyone's attention. The crowd quieted and turned inward to hear what was said.

"First off, I want to thank everyone for coming, and especially the Shinigami Women's Association for helping us foot the bill," Ukitake said, pausing until the cheers and applause died down. "This party has two purposes," he continued, "the first is an official farewell party for Kuchiki...," he grinned and shook his head, "I mean, Kurosaki Rukia as she leaves the 13th division. The second is, of course, to congratulate the newlyweds. There's plenty to eat and drink, so enjoy!" There were many shouts of "Congratulations!" and some cheering, especially from Rangiku, who had just turned up her third bottle of sake.

As the cheering died down, Ukitake climbed down from the table and shook hands with Ichigo. "Congratulations, Kurosaki-san," he said, "I..."

"Jyuushiro! Oi! I need help over here!" Kyouraku Shunsui called from the direction of the bar.

"What's wrong?" Ukitake called back.

"Matsumoto is already drunk and she's wallowing on the bar! I can't get at the sake!"

Ukitake laughed and started walking toward his friend. "I guess I need to go help him. You two go and have a good time!"

"Thanks!" Ichigo called after him as he disappeared into the crowd.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san?" a familiar voice said in his ear.

Ichigo jumped and spun to see Urahara, Tessai, and Yoruichi standing beside him. "My, my," the shopkeeper said, snapping his fan shut, "somebody sure is jumpy today."

"Give the kid a break, Kisuke," Yoruichi smirked, "he's been through a lot today."

"So I hear," he said, leveling his fan at Rukia, "I told you that mod soul would be trouble, didn't I? Burning your dress like that!"

Rukia laughed. "Oh, about that...he's already been...dealt with."

Ichigo looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Do you really want to tell them about that?"

Rukia smiled at him, then turned back to finish telling Urahara, "I had Ishida make Kon a miniature copy of the dress he designed for me. Then I had Ishida sew him into it so he couldn't take it off."

Urahara grinned. "Sounds like you have him well under control, Kurosaki-san."

"_I still get a shiver every time somebody calls me that," _Rukia thought.

"I'm glad you guys got to come," Ichigo said, nodding at Tessai who kept his silent vigil behind Urahara as usual. "After all, you taught me most of what I know about fighting."

"About fighting, yes, but you never did get around to learning kidou, did you?" Yoruichi laughed, "I'll bet you're the first king in generations who doesn't know the first spell."

Now it was Ichigo's turn to laugh. "Actually, while I was out with Kasumi-Ouji-san, I bought a book on kidou: 'Kidou for Dummies: a pocket reference.' "

"Oh, really?" Yoruichi grinned.

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded, "but while we were on our date in Karakura it fell out of my pocket and Rukia picked it up. She told me she could teach me kidou, and even offered to give me private lessons."

"Oh ho! 'Private lessons', huh?" Yoruichi leered. "I gave some 'private lessons' once. We got awfully hot and sweaty, but we didn't get much studying done."

Ichigo and Rukia's faces flushed pink. Rukia glanced up to see Ichigo looking at her. When he caught her eye, they both raised their eyebrows as if to say "Well? Those kind of private lessons wouldn't be bad, either." Catching the shared glance, Yoruichi began to snicker, then cackle, then howl with laughter, leaning hard on Urahara's shoulder. With a nod to Tessai, he said, "Well, I guess that's our cue. Don't forget to invite us for tea some time Kurosaki-san."

"We will, Urahara-san," Rukia said as she watched him walk away, listening to Yoruichi's laughter fading into the distance.

* * *

"Unohana-taichou," Mizuiro crooned, "don't you want to take a day off? Go to the lake, try to relax a little?"

Unohana Retsu looked at the playboy out of the corner of her eye. "Surely you can't be serious?" she asked.

"Oh," he looked at her with half-lidded eyes, "I'm very serious. I love to spend my time with a...more experienced....woman."

Unohana rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, "I just don't think that's such a good idea. Besides, I have a job to do. If you'll excuse me." She stood and walked off, keeping her eyes open for any incapacitated drunks.

Mizuiro sat down heavily, "Surrounded by older women," he sighed, "this should be paradise. Instead, I'm having about as much luck as Keigo! Speaking of..." He looked around, searching for his luckless friend and found him talking to Yuzu and Karin.

"Dammit, Keigo!" Karin yelled, shoving him back, "for the last time, I'm not going to run around the party with you pretending like I'm your date!"

"But I'm lonely!" Keigo whined.

"You want a date?" Karin snarled, throwing Kon at his head. "Here!"

Keigo pried the plush lion off of his face to find that the Kurosaki twins had disappeared into the crowd.

"Oi!" he heard and started looking around to see who was talking. "Oi! Friend of Ichigo!"

Keigo looked down at the stuffed animal now climbing its way up his arm. "Aww, how cute!" he cried, noticing the perfect copy of Rukia's dress Kon was wearing. It was then that a plan began to formulate in Keigo's alcohol-clouded mind. _"Cute, huh? Girls like cute things. If I carry this cute thing with me....," _he thought, _"I'll be a chick magnet!"_

Disturbed by the odd grin spreading across Keigo's face, Kon was a half second away from jumping to the floor and making his escape when he saw her: enormous breasts heaving as she chugged sake, long golden hair blowing in the breeze. "Take me to that happy valley!" he yelled, turning Keigo's head to look in the same direction.

"Wow," Keigo said, taking a stumbling step in her direction, "check her out!"

"I'm trying, you fool!" Kon said, drooling slightly as Keigo staggered toward her.

When he reached her, Keigo leaned heavily on the bar next to her and smiled, his eyes tracing her bustline. "Hey," he said, "how are you?"

"Fine. What'll ya have, shorty?" Rangiku replied.

"A double dose of you," Kon answered, leaping from his position on Keigo's shoulder only to meet with an obstacle in midair. Caught in Rangiku's fist, Kon's eyes widened with fear as she swung him hard at Keigo, letting go as soon as her fist made impact with his head.

"I may be drunk," she slurred, "but not that drunk."

Picking themselves up, Keigo and Kon dusted each other off and began wandering together through the party looking at women. After half an hour of searching for a woman he hadn't hit on, he spotted Ise Nanao trying to organize cleanup crews while keeping an eye on Kyouraku Shunsui. Kon clambered up Keigo's leg as he made a beeline for the brilliant fukutaichou.

"Hey," Keigo began, causing Nanao to look up

"Yes?"

"I was wondering..."

* * *

Kyouraku set down his sake as he saw a body fly past him. Turning his head to follow its path to the source, he saw Nanao adjusting her glasses and stomping toward him with a glare. "Did you put him up to that, taichou?"

"Put who up to what, Nanao-chan?" Shunsui asked, genuinely confused.

"Put that...boy...that friend of Kurosaki's up to hitting on me?"

Shunsui turned away to locate the 'boy' in question, and found Unohana ministering to him on the far side of the wall Nanao's attack had put him through. He chuckled. "What did you do to the poor guy, Nanao-chan?"

Color rose in her face as she replied, "First, he asks me if I wanted to sneak away with him, then that perverted little creature yelled something about 'the valley of the gods' and launched himself at my chest!" She crossed her arms protectively.

"So you hit him?"

"Yes, I hit him."

"As hard as you usually hit me?" Kyouraku asked quietly.

"Nowhere near that hard," she answered.

Kyouraku threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Nanao-chan, Nanao-chan! My dear, sweet, Nanao-chan. He's just a boy! A regular, human boy. Most shinigami I know couldn't withstand a hit like that! It's a wonder he's still alive!"

Nanao blushed slightly. "Well, he shouldn't have been fooling around like that," she said before marching off to start cleaning up the litter that was beginning to accumulate around the training grounds.

Shunsui chuckled again and walked over to where Unohana was just finishing her work on Keigo. "Is he going to be okay, Unohana-taichou?"

"Yes, I believe so. It was just a forceful punch, no kidou, so it was a fairly easy fix," she replied.

"Can I talk to him for a second?"

"I don't mind at all, I'm finished here."

"Oi, Asano-san!"

"Hmmm?" Keigo said, his head lolling to the side as he tried to focus on Shunsui's face.

"Can I give you a piece of advice?"

"Uh huh," Keigo mumbled.

"Don't hit on the ladies wearing the shihakusho. They can, and probably will, kick your ass. Take it from somebody who's been there," he laughed at the memory of all the times Nanao had smacked him all over the Seireitei for something like this.

"O-okay," Keigo said, trying to stand and flopping back down on the ground.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kyouraku asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Keigo replied, slowly standing up. "Hey, what happened to the little guy?"

"Little guy?" Shunsui asked.

"You know, the plush lion!"

"Plush...? Oh! You mean Kon?"

"That's him! He was with me when that girl hit me."

Kyouraku shrugged and pointed. "I saw him take off running that way."

"Great. There goes my wingman. Now what am I...," he trailed off, spotting a shapely female form over Kyouraku's shoulder. The woman was a knockout, her curves accented by the plain black yukata she wore, Her long, blond hair cascaded down her back, almost touching the white obi that tied her kimono. "Excuse me, Kyouraku-taichou," Keigo said, "I've got to meet her."

Shunsui turned to follow Keigo's path as he walked away and spotted Amekaeru walking into the training grounds with Kurosaki Isshin on her arm. _"Good luck, Asano-san," _Kyouraku thought with a smile, _"you'll need it."_

Keigo shouldered his way through the crowd, keeping an eye on his target. When he finally caught up to her, Isshin had stepped over to the bar to get them something to drink, and she was alone. "Hey, there, lovely lady," he began, "I'm Asano Keigo. What's your name?"

"My name is Amekaeru," she replied coolly, "I'm a retainer from the house of Kurosaki, and no, I'm not interested."

At that moment, Isshin returned, carrying two small cups of sake. "Asano-kun!" he cried, greeting the younger man with a hearty slap on the back. "How are you? Not having any luck with the ladies, I see."

Keigo's eyes were filled with tears as he answered, "No."

Isshin handed him one of the cups and watched him drain it in one swallow. "There, now, that's better, isn't it?" Keigo didn't answer, but reached out and grabbed the other cup and drank it as well. Eyes still wet, he turned and staggered three or four paces before slumping into a chair and falling asleep. Isshin laughed until Amekaeru thought he was going to fall over as well, before regaining his composure. "Wait a minute, Amekaeru-san, and I'll get you that drink," he said as he dried the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"I really don't have time, Isshin-dono," she said, "I need to return to the royal house and make sure everything is ready for the king and queen to arrive tomorrow morning!"

"Are you sure?" Isshin prodded, "It won't take but a minute to have a drink with an old friend!"

"I am sure," she said gently, "I need to find Yamamoto-soutaichou so he can open the gate for me from this end. Please tell Ichigo-dono that the gate to the royal household will open atop the hill where the Soukyouku stood at precisely ten o'clock. Do not forget, Isshin-dono, ten o'clock."

"I won't forget, Amekaeru-san," he said pulling her into a quick hug. "Good luck with him. Make sure he takes care of our Rukia-chan."

"I will, Isshin-dono," she said, "and I will see you again the next time you come home to visit. You are coming to visit?"

"Oh, yes, absolutely," Isshin said, bowing his head to her, "I'm sure Ichigo and Rukia will give me grandchildren soon, anyway!"

"Take care of yourself, Isshin-dono," she said with a deep bow as she took her leave.

* * *

As the sun began to set, the guests finally began to trickle out the gate. Ichigo, Rukia, and their friends began to gravitate back toward the center of the training grounds where Ukitake sat at a table sipping tea and talking with Chad. Soon, they were the only ones left and the mess from the party had been cleaned up around them under Nanao's direction. Ichigo stood, holding Rukia's hand while Isshin passed the message from Amekaeru. "Ten o'clock, huh?" Ichigo asked, "that should work."

Ukitake cleared his throat. "There is actually one more piece of business to attend to before we go our separate ways," he said, "and that's the matter of Rukia's official discharge. Kiyone! Sentarou!"

The two seated officers appeared kneeling behind him. "Yes, taichou!" they said in unison.

"Present to Kurosaki-san the badge of her office."

Kiyone stood up and held out a fukutaichou's armband bearing the insignia of the 13th division, which Rukia accepted with a confused look on her face. "What's this?" she asked as Kiyone stepped back to kneel behind Ukitake.

Jyuushiro chuckled, "Something I always wanted you to have, but Byakuya would never allow it. Kurosaki Rukia, you are hereby promoted to fukutaichou of the 13th division."

"Th-thank you, Ukitake-taichou!" Rukia stammered, "but I..."

"Sentarou? Her papers, if you please?"

Sentarou stood up and handed Rukia a scroll bearing the seals of both the1st and 13th divisions before returning to his position next to Kiyone.

"And now," Ukitake said softly as he reached out to shake her hand, "you are officially discharged from the 13th division with our blessing. Congratulations, Rukia, and good luck."

"Thank you, Ukitake-taichou!" she said.

"I did a better job helping him with Kurosaki-san's discharge!" Kiyone said out of the corner of her mouth.

"No, I did! I was the one who took the scroll to Yamamoto-soutaichou!" Sentarou argued.

Ukitake sighed and turned to address them. "Thank you both. You are dismissed," he said. "Oh, and Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"Yes, Ukitake-taichou?" Ichigo said, accepting the hand Ukitake offered him.

"Take care of our Rukia."

"Of course," Ichigo said, bowing his head. _"Of all the captains, I have always had the most respect for this man," _Ichigo thought. _"He took Rukia in and helped her to find her place. If not for serving under his command, Byakuya would probably never have let her go on a solo mission to the real world, and we never would have met. Not to mention he and Kyouraku destroyed the Soukyouku." _He grinned broadly, giving Ukitake's hand a firm shake. "Thank you, Ukitake-taichou."

"Thank you, Kurosaki-san. And farewell," he said.

"Oh, you'll see me around," Ichigo laughed. "I plan to be very active in what goes on here in Soul Society, not just locked away in the royal dimension making up rules. I can't let history repeat itself."

Jyuushiro saw a look in Ichigo's eyes that betrayed his true emotions despite the smile on his lips. "I hope so, Kurosaki-san. See you soon then."

As Ukitake walked away, Yuzu caught something yellow moving out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see Kon sneaking from table to table. "Bostov!" she cried, racing over to snatch him from the ground. Everyone's eyes turned to her as she returned clutching Kon tightly.

"No!" Kon yelled, "Get off of me! Let me go!"

This was the first chance Ichigo had to get a good look at the dress Ishida had made for Kon. The dress was perfect, even down to the embroidery on his chest. Ichigo started to laugh, softly at first then so hard he was crying, leaning on Rukia for support. "Kon," he called, "you look beautiful!"

"Doesn't he, though!" Rukia joined in. "You did a great job, Ishida!"

Uryuu adjusted his glasses. "Of course I did," he replied calmly.

Kon was livid. He raised his tiny fist and shook it at Ichigo. "Shut up! It was an accident! An accident! Bastards. You didn't have to sew the damn thing on," he yelled, tugging at the stitching that held the dress fast to his plush body.

Everyone was so busy laughing that they didn't notice the pair of shinigami walking across the training grounds toward them. "What's so funny?", Renji asked.

"Renji!" Rukia exclaimed, turning to face him. As she did, she noticed the other shinigami with him. "Matsumoto!"

"The heavenly valley!" Kon cried.

"Shut up, Kon or I'll tell Ishida to just leave that dress on you when we get home!" Karin yelled, balling him up and stuffing him into Yuzu's backpack.

"So," Renji smirked, "congratulations to the both of you."

"Thanks, Renji," Ichigo said.

"Yeah, thanks," Rukia said quietly, looking at her feet.

"Oi!" Rangiku said, lifting Rukia's chin, "It's not like this is goodbye, right?" She looked at Renji.

"That's right," Renji said, "I mean, sure you guys will be in a different place, but how is that any different than when we were here in Soul Society and you two were living in Karakura?"

"I think we can arrange to have some old friends come by from time to time, don't you, Rukia?" Ichigo said, catching the drift and looking back at Isshin, who nodded.

Rukia laughed and wrinkled her nose at the odor of sake emanating from the pair. "As long as they don't get too drunk."

Renji blushed a little as Matsumoto tugged on the sleeve of his shihakusho. "Well, uh, I guess we need to get going," he said. "See you later!"

"We?" Ichigo murmured to Rukia as he watched them walk away together. She shrugged and squeezed his hand, turning back to their family and friends.

Isshin leaned in and whispered something to Yuzu and Karin, then straightened and said, "I think it's time for all of us to go as well. It's getting late."

Karin stepped forward and hugged Ichigo and Rukia. "So long, Ichi-nii," she said. "Rukia-nee? Keep this idiot in line."

Rukia chuckled, "I will, Karin. I promise."

Yuzu had tears in her eyes and clung to Ichigo. He hugged her tight and barely heard her whisper, "Mom would be so proud, Ichigo."

Blinking back tears of his own, Ichigo patted her back and whispered, "I know."

Pulling away from Ichigo she wrapped her arms around Rukia and squeezed her tight. "Make sure he brushes his teeth after every meal, or he doesn't get the next one."

"I will," Rukia said, smiling.

Isshin stepped forward and put his hands on Ichigo's shoulders. "You chose well, my son. I know you'll make me proud."

"Thanks, Dad," Ichigo said, absently lifting his hand to block his father's punch.

Isshin laughed. "I have nothing more to teach you. From here on, you're on your own...but I think you'll be able to handle it."

He stepped over and pulled Rukia into a hug, lifting her off the ground. "Rukia-chan, you really are my third daughter now," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "I know you'll keep this idiot son of mine straight. I only have one thing to ask of you."

"What's that?" Rukia asked.

"Don't make me wait too long to be a grandfather!" he laughed.

"Dad!" Ichigo groaned, watching Rukia blush.

"Come on, girls," Isshin said to the twins, "Kisuke's waiting for us." He turned to address Uryuu, Chad, Mizuiro, Orihime, and Tatsuki. "You guys can come on when you're ready," he said, guiding Yuzu and Karin out of the training grounds.

Mizuiro hefted Keigo, still passed out, onto his shoulders. "I think I'll take this fool home, too. I'll see you when you come to visit, right?"

"Right," Rukia said.

"Great. Good luck you guys!" he said, waving with his free hand as he walked away.

"Wow," Orihime said, looking around at the small group of friends that remained. "I guess this is really it, huh?

"Yeah," Ichigo said. "By the way, I've been meaning to thank you and Ishida for helping Rukia with her dress."

"It was nothing, Kurosaki," Ishida said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"You always say stuff like that, Uryuu-kun!" Orihime chided.

"It meant the world to me, Ishida," Rukia said. "You'll never know how much I appreciate it."

Ishida blushed. "You're welcome, Kurosaki-san."

"See! That's not so hard!" Orihime said, giving Ishida a peck on the cheek. She crossed to Rukia and gave her a hug. "Take care of yourself, Kurosaki-san."

"I will. Thanks, Inoue, for everything."

Orihime brushed a tear from her cheek. "You're welcome, of course. What are friends for?"

Ichigo reached out and shook Ishida's hand. "In almost every battle I've faced since I became a shinigami you guys have been right there, backing me up. Thanks, Ishida, for being there."

Ishida smirked, "Don't go getting all sentimental on me now, Kurosaki."

Ichigo smiled, but lowered his voice and said, "Take care of yourselves, Uryuu."

"Don't worry about us." Then, raising his voice so Orihime could hear, "Are you ready to go?"

"I guess so," she sighed. "Goodbye you guys!"

"So long, Kurosaki....and Kurosaki," Ishida said with a nod as he took Orihime's hand and led her away, leaving Tatsuki and Chad alone with the newlyweds.

"Well," Tatsuki said, slapping Ichigo on the back, "I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Goodbye?" Ichigo said with a smirk, "Where have you been this whole time?"

"Oh! I've been talking with Yoruichi-san and Soi Fon about teaching me some of their reiatsu-based hand to hand techniques."

"Really?" Rukia asked, "Even in your human body you can do that?"

Tatsuki put on a feral grin. "Yep. Yoruichi said she could teach me Hohou and Hakuda at least, and a little bit of kidou."

"Wow!" Ichigo said, "That's great!"

"Soi Fon said they could even teach me some shunko if I could master everything else."

"Wait," Ichigo said, suddenly concerned, "you're not going to use this in your next tournament are you?"

Tatsuki laughed. "No way! I'd probably kill somebody if I tried!"

Ichigo could feel a cold sweat breaking out in the small of his back. "So, why do you want to learn all that?"

"To fight hollows, you moron!" she replied, exasperated. "Just because the great Kurosaki Ichigo is leaving doesn't mean the hollows will stop coming," she said sarcastically. "Urahara told all of us that as long as we're still living close to one another the concentration of reiatsu is high enough to attract gillian class menos. So can you understand why I want to learn how to fight them?"

Ichigo whistled. "Yeah," he said.

"Rukia," Tatsuki said, "make sure this idiot behaves...and thank you."

"Thank me? For what?" Rukia asked.

"For bringing back the Ichigo that I used to know. For letting him smile again."

"Y-you're welcome, Arisawa-san."

Tatsuki punched Ichigo in the shoulder and walked off waving. "See ya!" she called over her shoulder.

"Ichigo," Chad said.

"Thank you, Chad. For watching my back like nobody ever could. For following me to Soul Society even though you didn't know Rukia very well at the time. For always standing with me, even when I was doing something dangerous. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Ichigo."

"Chad," Rukia began, "thank you for keeping an eye on Ichigo all those times when I couldn't, and for coming with him to rescue me. Without your help, neither one of us would even be here today."

"Rukia-san," Chad rumbled, surprised at her words.

Ichigo reached out and shook Chad's hand, pulling him into a backslapping hug. "Chad," Ichigo said as they parted, "I want you to promise me something."

"Anything that is in my power to do," Chad replied.

"Watch out for everybody. Keigo, Mizuiro, Ishida, Inoue, Tatsuki, my dad, Yuzu, Karin...I want you to watch their backs since I won't be there to do it anymore."

"You have my word, Ichigo."

"Thanks, man," Ichigo said with a smile

Chad turned to Rukia and extended his hand to her. She set her tiny hand in his much larger palm and felt him gently squeeze it. "Thank you for taking care of Ichigo, Rukia-san. I know he will be safe and happy with you. I'll see you when you come to visit. Maybe you can come hear the band again," he said with a smile, "I'll try to work on some more slow songs for you since your last dance got cut short."

"That would be great, Chad," Rukia said as he released her hand.

"See you around, Ichigo," Chad said, walking away.

"Guess it's just us, huh?" Ichigo said, turning to Rukia.

She hooked her arm through his and looked up at him with a smile. "Yeah," she sighed, "just us. Are you ready to go home?"

"Home?" Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, either you're coming back to the manor with me or we're staying at the 8th division, and I can tell you where I'd rather spend my wedding night," she said with a wink.

Ichigo blushed and asked "What about Byakuya?"

"What about him?" she replied, before it occurred to her what he was asking. "Ohhh. Don't you remember me telling you his chambers are on the opposite end of the manor?"

Ichigo thought hard, his eyes widening as the memory came back to him. "Oh, yeah," he said with a smirk.

"So, does that mean you're ready to start those 'private lessons'?" she asked with a grin.

Instead of answering, Ichigo just kissed her and lifted her off the ground, carrying her to the Kuchiki manor as fast as he could shunpo.

* * *

Rukia stood in front of her wardrobe in the dim candlelight, looking at herself in the mirror. _"Is he going to like this?"_ she thought as she tightened the obi on her kimono. _"Will he even remember?"_ She turned with a start at the sound of the door opening. "Ichigo," she breathed.

Ichigo's heart skipped a beat at the sight before him: Rukia, his wife, dressed in nothing but a lavender kimono with a flower pattern on it. _"That kimono!"_ Ichigo thought, _"Is it the same one? Only one way to find out."_

"Rukia," he said quietly as he walked over to her, "is that kimono....the same one you wore the day that I left for Karakura after Aizen went to Hueco Mundo?"

Rukia smiled and put her arms around his neck. "Yes. I'm surprised you remembered."

"How could I forget," he replied, "it was the first time since we met that we parted on our terms, without being torn apart."

"And now we'll never be apart again," Rukia said, trailing kisses along his jaw. Ichigo felt a shiver of pleasure run through his body as their lips met, tongues clashing, her hand snaking inside his shihakusho to stroke his chest. As they broke the kiss to catch their breath Ichigo covered her hand with his, stopping its movement.

"Rukia, I've never...I mean you're my...," he panted as she covered his trembling hand with hers.

"Me too, Ichigo. We'll learn together," she said softly, leading him to the bed. As she reached the edge of the bed she pulled him to her,opening the front of his shihakusho and kissing her way up his chest and neck. Ichigo allowed her to slide the shihakusho off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. She pulled back and looked over his body wide eyed, tracing battle scars with her fingers. _"My God, he has a __fantastic__ body," _she thought, running her palms up his belly, across his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe to kiss him again.

Ichigo leaned into the kiss and slid his arms around her, pulling her up to him as he savored the taste of her. He shifted slightly, moving his arm down under her thigh and lifted her into the air, setting her gently on the bed before breaking the kiss. Violet eyes met amber as Ichigo pulled away, kneeling beside her on the bed and sliding his hand down her bare leg. She moaned at the sensation, half-closing her eyes. He rested his hand on the knot of her obi and tugged gently, never looking away from her eyes, seeking her approval before taking it any farther.

"Ichigo," she breathed, nodding for him to continue, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, pulling the obi loose and opening her kimono to expose her body. She gasped at the sudden rush of cool air. He smiled as he pulled the silk back, watching the goosebumps spread over her belly, taking a moment to survey her creamy skin before laying beside her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He pulled her close and as their naked skin touched for the first time a thousand new sensations at once overloaded his brain. Ichigo slid his hands up to her shoulders and discarded the kimono, leaving them both completely naked.

"My god, Rukia," he sighed as she kissed the side of his neck, sucking gently. She slid her hands down and grabbed his behind, pulling him closer to her, feeling him poke gently into her leg. He jerked back reflexively at the sudden stimulation, then surrendered to her guidance, taking advantage of the opportunity to stroke her side while he shifted to capture her mouth with his own, running his tongue along her bottom lip until she allowed him to enter, teasing the tip of her tongue and causing her to moan softly into his mouth. She ran her fingers through his hair, clinging to him like a drowning man to a life raft. She brought a hand down and pushed his shoulder gently, urging him to roll onto his back. He complied and she threw a leg over him, straddling him to kneel on the bed. He sat up, allowing Rukia to wrap her legs naturally around his waist. She shuddered as she leaned in, her breasts pressing into his chest as she nibbled his earlobe. He took a ragged breath as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held herself there for a moment before letting him lean back. He cupped her breasts, and she let out a whimper, her eyes closing. He could feel her nipples harden against his palm and the heat radiating from between her thighs.

"Make love to me, Ichigo," she whispered, looking into his eyes as she leaned down into him. Ichigo made no response except to wrap his arms tightly around her and roll her onto the bed.

* * *

When Ichigo awoke, his first thought was the realization that something warm was snuggled up against him. He almost panicked until he opened his eyes and saw what it was: there, lying in his arms, was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Her dark hair hung into her face, and he could feel her naked body shifting against him with every slow, even breath she took. He smiled and lifted his arm to brush the hair out of her eyes and stroke her ivory cheek. _"Wow," _he thought to himself, _"this is real. All of this is really happening."_

"Hmmmm." Rukia sighed as her eyes opened slowly, "Good morning."

Ichigo stopped stroking her face and pulled her close, rubbing her back, "Good morning to you, too."

Rukia smiled and kissed his chest, not wanting to move, afraid she'd wake up again and it would all be a dream. "Last night," she whispered, "was...incredible."

Ichigo chuckled softly into her hair, "Incredible doesn't even begin to describe it. More like 'mind-blowing'."

"True," she said, letting the memory play back in her mind's eye for a moment before pulling back a fraction to look up into his eyes. "I love you, Ichigo," she said, gently kneading the small of his back with her fingertips.

"I love you, too, Rukia. More than you'll ever know."

She tightened her grip on his waist and snuggled up to him again, planting kisses on the hard muscles of his chest. Ichigo shivered as she suddenly grazed his breastbone with her teeth, causing goosebumps to spread all over him. She looked up into his eyes and pushed herself forward to kiss him, feeling him surround her with his arms and his reiatsu. He held her tight and rolled onto his back, surprising her. She broke the kiss long enough to gasp before meeting his lips again with renewed passion. When they parted, gasping for air, Rukia was laying flat on his stomach, her chin resting on his shoulder. "Oi, Ichigo," she whispered, loving the way his body shook as her breath caressed his ear, "how about a quick encore of last night before we get ready to leave?"

"Hmmm, that sounds good," Ichigo said, and Rukia could feel his words vibrating in his chest.

She ran the tip of her tongue along the outside of his ear, causing him to moan softly. She could feel his body responding as she moved her hands between them to caress him gently, hearing the catch in his breathing as she found a particularly sensitive spot. She smiled, releasing him and sliding her hands up his sides to stroke his hair. He rolled, the weight of his body pressing her into the bed as he kissed her tenderly from her temple, down her cheekbone, across her chin and continued down. He raised himself up slightly and she arched her back as he worshiped her, teasing her and causing her to bite her lower lip. "Ichigo," she panted, "now."

"Now?" he asked with a smirk, pulling away from her.

"Now," she said, her violet eyes shining in the dim light. She suddenly gasped at the sensation of his hands moving from her shoulders, down across her breasts, across her belly, to the her inner thighs. "Ichigo!" she cried as he teased her, taking her right up to the edge before drawing back.

"Now," he said with a smile, leaning in to kiss her deeply as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

* * *

Ichigo shrugged his way into his shihakusho and ran his hand through his hair before looking over at Rukia. She was already ready and was adjusting Sode no Shirayuki while she waited for him.

"Come on, Ichigo," she said as he looked in the mirror, "you look fine."

Ichigo could hear the smile in her voice and used shunpo to appear in the doorway behind her. He rested his hands on her shoulders and planted a kiss in her hair. "Thanks," he said, "I guess this is it, huh?"

Rukia took one last look around her room. Most of her things had already been moved on Amekaeru's orders once Ichigo had made his choice official, but it still tugged at her heart. _"I have lived in this room since I was first adopted into the Kuchiki family,"_ she thought, _"It's a room full of memories: I did some of my very first sketches in this room, recovered after Ichigo rescued me from Aizen in this room, planned our first date in this room, made love to him for the first time in this room, and we're leaving Soul Society to start our life together from this room."_ She sighed contentedly. "Yeah, this is it."

Ichigo caught the strange tone in her voice and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight for a moment before she took his hands in hers and turned to smile up at him. "Come on," she said, "we're going to be late."

They walked through the Seireitei holding hands, making the long, slow climb to the hill where the Soukyouku once stood. There, they were surprised to find Kyouraku, Ukitake, Renji, Rangiku, and Byakuya waiting under the ruins of the execution stand to see them off.

Rangiku ran to give Rukia and Ichigo a crushing hug. "Well? How was it?" she said with a wink, causing Rukia and Ichigo to blush crimson. "Good luck!" she said, laughing as she stepped away.

Renji was the next to step forward, shaking Ichigo's hand. "Good luck, Ichigo," he said.

"Thanks, Renji."

Rukia gave Renji a hug, causing him to blush. "R-Rukia!" he stammered.

"Take care of yourself, Renji," she said.

"I will," he said confidently, putting his arm around Matsumoto's waist, "don't worry about me."

Byakuya approached the couple and embraced Rukia tenderly. "Do not ever forget what I told you," he said, "I am proud of the lady you have become, Rukia."

"Th-thank you, nii-sama," she said as he pulled away.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he said, moving to stand in Ichigo's path.

"Byakuya," the younger man acknowledged.

"You are taking with you the Kuchiki family's greatest treasure. Guard her with your life."

"I will," Ichigo said solemnly, extending his hand, "Thank you for entrusting her to me."

Byakuya looked down at Ichigo's hand and Ichigo thought for a moment that he would scoff at the attempt to make peace. Just as he was about to withdraw it, Byakuya shook it firmly, and as their eyes met Ichigo could see the weight of the emotions barely held in check behind his icy demeanor.

As they stood there saying their goodbyes the gate began to materialize before them. At first glance, it looked like a regular senkai gate, only made of pure gold with the royal family crest stamped into the doors. Shunsui clapped Ichigo on the back. "Well, looks like it's time for you to go, Kurosaki-san."

The gate slid open to reveal a dazzling corridor and two white swallowtail butterflies flew out. "These are...hell butterflies?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"I've only ever seen them once," Ukitake said with a grin, "but they are here to guide you on your way to the royal dimension. Good luck, Kurosaki-san."

Ichigo swallowed hard and took a last look around. He felt Rukia put her arm around his waist and lay her head on his side. He put his arm around her shoulders and looked down into her smiling face. "Come on," he said, bending to kiss her forehead. The two stepped forward as one, following the butterflies through the gate. He felt Rukia squeeze him tightly and only dimly heard the cheers of their friends behind them as the gate slid shut. Ichigo and Rukia walked down the corridor side by side, hand in hand, toward the new life that awaited them.


End file.
